The Quest For Pandora
by michellej8
Summary: Ten years after the battle of Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione find themselves caught up in a strange mystery involving a myth no one really believes in. As they struggle to find answers and save people from another calamity, they find that they are required to seek help from their childhood enemy, Draco Malfoy. DH compliant.
1. chapter 1

Chapter One 

Stormy grey.

That was the only word she could think of to describe the color of the eyes that she was currently looking into.

Stormy grey and devoid of any and all emotion. Whoever had said that the eyes are the windows to the soul obviously never looked into the stormy depths of Draco Malfoy's grey irises.

Hermione Granger was never one to be without words but at the moment she was suddenly and inexplicably speechless. As she sat across from one of her oldest enemies (the melodrama inherent in the word not lost on her), Hermione found herself momentarily forgetting what exactly it was that she was doing at the newly rebuilt Malfoy Manor, sitting in front of a large mahogany desk with her wand clutched in her hand and a ministry issued leather bound file in her lap.

As she continued to stare, Malfoy's eyes shifted a fraction of an inch towards the large antique wall clock directly behind her and then settled back on her, his face a blank slate giving nothing of his thoughts or feelings away as he sat waiting for her to speak.

The infinitesimal movement of Malfoy's eyes brought Hermione crashing back to reality. Coloring slightly at having been caught up in her thoughts, she cleared her throat and began.

"Mr. Malfoy, as I hope you know, I work for the department of law enforcement at the ministry and I am here on official business". She paused here, waiting for some kind of reaction from the man sitting across the table but received none. He continued to look at her silently, seemingly with a mixture of boredom, weariness, and hauteur all rolled into one.

Hermione looked down onto her lap as if to gain some strength from the heavy file embossed with the seal of the auror department gleaming up at her in bright silver. She didn't understand why she was so at a loss; Hermione was one of the top aurors of the country, second in rank and reputation only to the great Harry Potter himself and yet, here she was rendered mute and feeling almost apologetic for interrupting whatever it was that Malfoy was doing when she arrived unannounced through the floo and plowed into the seat in front of him. She quite thought her current predicament had something to do with Malfoy's demeanor. He had a way of holding himself with such confidence and arrogance that could only have come with his pure blood breeding and that he seemed to have grown more into with age. He little resembled the frightened and battle scarred teenager she saw walking away from the ruins of Hogwarts after the final battle; head bowed and defeated, slumped between his parents. It may also however, have much to do with the way he had bullied and tormented her all throughout school, his condescension of her blood status and so on.

From what she knew through a quick perusal of the file on the Malfoy's at the ministry, Draco's father Lucius was given a lifetime sentence in Azkaban where he died a little over three years ago. Draco and his mother were pardoned but with hefty fines and released. The two had disappeared from wizarding London for a few years before resurfacing at the Manor which they promptly tore down and rebuilt. Rumor had it that Malfoy had completed his schooling in Durmstrang and had taken over the family business ventures which had passed onto him at his fathers demise.

At present, the Malfoy's were quiet on the public front. To everyone's great surprise (and quite a lot of derision and suspicion), Malfoy had opened his own defense school just outside London. It later became known that while at Durmstrang, Malfoy had pursued studies in defensive magic; both theoretical as well as physical training. It was whispered about that his training and education in the defensive arts were almost as extensive as the knowledge that ministry trained aurors had. Minister Shaklebolt had even gone so far as to tour the school and then later offer Malfoy a position at the auror training facility as a consultant but had been politely turned down. At present, apart from overseeing his training school, Malfoy also lent members of his academy to occasionally help aurors with their missions. The Malfoy's donated generously to various worthy causes and were slowly climbing back up society ranks although most of their former allies had abandoned them. Hermione however, despite working at the auror department, had only seen Draco sparingly over the past years; accidental sightings at Diagon Alley or slight glimpses at various functions. As far as she knew, the man sitting across from her was as good as a stranger on the street.

Sighing imperceptibly, she continued "we are hoping to get your assistance on something we are researching at the moment".

At this, one aristocratic eyebrow lifted fractionally. Inwardly pleased at this indication that he was at least listening, Hermione rushed on "have you heard about the attacks on muggles in Egypt recently?"

She was left to ponder whether he had actually heard her when the silence stretched to snapping point between them following her question. She was about to repeat herself when he spoke "yes I have, although I do not know how I can help with that". "I've already spoken to Shaklebolt about sending out a team and it is quite impossible considering many of mine are currently in Albania with Seamus Finnegan". "The ones I have left are not trained enough to help you in Egypt".

"We don't need your team Malfoy, just you". "And this isn't a team mission, it's much bigger than that". Hermione opened the file on her lap as she spoke, glad that she finally had his attention. When she looked up at him again with papers clutched in her hand, she saw that he had pursed his lips and was watching her again, stormy grey eyes blank once more.

She sighed again, louder this time. "Have you heard of Pandora's box?"


	2. Chapter two

"So, how did it go?"

At the sound of a familiar voice, Hermione raised her head which had been resting on her forearms since she had stormed into her office and fell into her chair, not quite a quarter of an hour ago. Her visit to Malfoy manner had left her flustered and frustrated and she was attempting to comb through her muddled thoughts when the welcome tones of her best friends voice came to her.

Looking up to find Harry leaning against her doorframe, Hermione mustered a smile on her face which turned into a grimace as she considered his question.

"It was ok and not so ok" she said with a sigh.

"What happened?" Harry asked, dropping ungracefully into the chair in front of her.

"Well he listened until I explained without saying anything although I could practically hear the laughter in his head" she said rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. "Probably thinks I'm barking mad" she muttered more to herself than to Harry. "He did agree to come to the meeting although, I'm quite sure that had more to do with Shaklebolt's letter than my explanation". "He probably feels that since Shaklebolt asked him to come, that there must be something to my rambling". "I guess I should be thankful to our understanding minister" she finished in a rush.

"Shaklebolt trusts you 'mione". Harry paused to narrow his eyes at her "but you should know that he supports this because he feels that your theories are linked in some way to the string of attack's that have been happening in the muggle world for the past few months; he's desperate for answers".

"And because you nagged him about it, don't think I don't know about your discussions with him" Hermione finished with an accusing glare.

Harry sighed "I trust you Hermione, and I know that your theories always lead somewhere". "Merlin knows we've all seen that time and time again". "You're the best at what you do, I would have been dead several times over if it wasn't for you" Harry finished with an affectionate smile.

"Well…" Hermione bent her slightly colored face to shuffle papers on her desk. After a few minutes of silence she suddenly looked up.

"Does Malfoy intimidate you?" The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she said it.

"Malfoy?" "No". "Why, did he say something to you?" Harry's brow had furrowed at the thought of Malfoy insulting Hermione as if he had forgotten that the witch in front of him was quite capable of holding her own.

"No of course not" Hermione replied pensively. "He just has this way about him you know, it's impressive but intimidating. He wasn't like that at school".

"He's a pretentious git" Harry conceded. "But he's been useful and no one has anything too bad to say about him". "You sure you're ok?" He asked after a slight pause.

Hermione shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on her friend again. "Yes of course Harry". "It would take more than a meeting with Malfoy to bring me down" she smirked.

"Don't I know it" Harry laughed. "Robertson is still a sniveling mess by the way". "Couldn't even finish giving his confession".

While Harry laughed to himself, Hermione felt her frustration slipping away. Robertson was an alleged Voldemort sympathizer who had taken it upon himself to teach his children and their friends about the wonders of pure blood supremacy. He had however, taken it a step too far by 'demonstrating' a few unforgivables on his unsuspecting protégés. It had taken Hermione one visit to the Robertson household to assess the situation and bring the man in, as Harry said, very much in a state of sniveling mess.

Many people had been surprised at the change in the witch since her departure from Hogwarts. Following the war, Hermione had joined as an auror trainee. Despite her earlier inhibitions, Hermione had quickly come into her own without the constant presence of her two best friends. Her due diligence to training procedures and sharp intellect had made her one of the best the department had ever seen. In recent years however, Hermione had eased herself more into research and investigative work rather than field missions. She loved uncovering mysteries and piecing things together and had used her vast knowledge and unforgiving curiosity on more than one occasion to help teams of aurors capture criminals from all over the world. She was also well versed in ancient artifacts and their magical properties and had done much to preserve and study such objects.

Shaking her head at the still laughing form of her best friend, Hermione began arranging her files for her next meeting; a consult with a team of aurors handling a spat of break ins some distance away from central London. She usually hated consults where she just had to give her opinion on another aurors case, but she was definitely looking forward to this one. It just so happened that this particular team was headed by Ronald Weasley whom she hadn't seen in almost a month.

"Have you seen Ron?" She asked Harry shaking him from his reverie.

"No not yet, is he in?" Harry asked sitting up a little straighter.

"Should be. I have a meeting with him in about five minutes". Hermione wondered briefly why Harry hadn't known Ron was back but let it go as she knew Harry was one of the busiest aurors of the lot.

"I'll see him today after work anyway, we're supposed to be getting drinks with the boys". "Are you sure you don't want to come?" Harry asked, rising from his seat.

"Yes I'm sure" Hermione replied getting to her feet, a bundle of files in her arms. "I have to get my notes and things in order if I want this meeting to work so I'm going to go home and get started on it".

"Don't worry 'mione it'll be fine. And if this Pandora thing is as serious as you say it is, then you can be sure me and Ron won't let the ministry be until it's put to rest". Harry put his hands on Hermione's shoulders and steered her out of the office, waiting patiently til she had locked up and warded the entrance.

"Pandora is a person actually not a thing" Hermione muttered as she set up the usual wards barring entrance to her office.

"Tell Ron I'll be at the apparition point will you?" Harry called over his shoulder as he walked off down the corridor, strength and confidence emanating from his long stride. Hermione smiled tiredly at her friends retreating form and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

When she reached the conference room where she was to meet Ron and his team however, she was asked to remain a minute as Ron was in conversation with Shaklebolt. Peering in through the glass windows, Hermione's lips curled up into another fond smile as she took in the tall and lanky Ronald Weasley.

Leaning back casually in a large arm chair at the head of the conference table with his long legs stretched out in front of him, Ron looked completely at ease as he spoke with the minister. Hermione took a minute to marvel for what felt like the millionth time at the changes she saw in Ron since they had left school. Out of the three of them, Hermione felt like Ron had matured the most. Gone was the gluttonous boy prone to slapstick and quick to anger and in his place was a quieter man full of dry wit and quiet ability. Ron had become quite the auror over the past few years, mostly due to his amazing powers of observation and ability to strategize. Most people tended to overlook and thus underestimate the youngest of the Weasley boys and Ron used this to his advantage ; blending into the background when he needed to.

However, like Hermione, he too was slowly easing out of the field and into mission control. He quite preferred to plan and strategize attacks and captures, moving aurors around the field much like he moved his beloved chess pieces. The mission he had just gotten back from was supposed to be his last field job before he began to focus solely on mission control.

Hermione was shaken from her thoughts as minister Shaklebolt walked out of the conference room. "Granger, good to see you" he called over his shoulder as he swept down the corridor and out of sight.

"Ron!" Hermione squealed as she launched herself into a bone crushing hug. She hadn't seen him in over a month and had missed him terribly. Ron returned her hug enthusiastically and then settled back into his chair.

"So, another mystery".

Hermione sighed. "Yes but don't get ahead of yourself, you haven't been briefed. And unlike Harry, you haven't heard parts of my wild theories either".

"Shaklebolt was just telling me about it. No details though. Do we really need Malfoy?" Ron asked wearily after a slight pause, a grimace scrunching up his face.

"Unfortunately Yes. But you've worked with him right? You said he was ok". She asked, worried now that somehow she had jeopardized everything by inviting Malfoy to join them.

"He's ok on the field I just haven't met him outside of it. For all I know he might be the same arse he was in school" Ron shrugged. "Do you really believe that Ron?" She asked quietly. Ron took the space of about a minute to reply. "No. I don't" he said with a sigh. "He doesn't talk and you can never tell what he's thinking but" …

"But what Ron?" Hermione asked leaning forward slightly.

"Well I trust him you know. Out there on the field you never know what's going to happen so you need trust. I don't like him to be honest, but I trust him". Ron stretched his arms up over his head as he spoke, tiredness written all over his face.

"Poor you. Shall we get started so that you can go meet Harry and then get to bed?" Hermione asked.

"No actually that's why Shaklebolt was here. He wants to reschedule. Something about the minister of France demanding a meeting". "There's nothing urgent anyway, the break ins were the work of a bunch of muggle boys and one underage wizard who had joined them for kicks. That's why we kept getting traces of magic. His parents will be in tomorrow and that's that". Ron yawned and rolled his head back. "You coming with us tonight 'mione?"

"No I have stuff to do" Hermione muttered already lost in thought. "But you boys have fun" she said gathering her files, her mind already planning a dozen things. Ron trailed behind her out of the conference room

"Oh and Ron" Hermione called as she headed for the apparition point, "yeah" he asked looking up from the reports in his hands.

"It's good to have you back".


	3. Chapter Three

Authors note: Thank you to all my lovely followers. I truly hope you enjoy this little fic of mine. Thank you Sjay1102. Your support is everything!

A small note to say that this fic will be eventual Dramione, for the only reason that I always felt that Hermione and Ron wouldn't have worked out in the long run. I just feel that she and Malfoy would have so much more chemistry. That being said, I will not be dwelling overmuch on a relationship and it is very much secondary to the main plot. There will also be very little smut if at all (nothing against it, I'm just really not good at writing it). The M rating is mostly for dark magic, violence and language more than anything.

I will do my very best to update regularly but having a demanding eight-month-old means that pretty much everything else takes a backseat.

Once again, I do hope you enjoy.

I own nothing.

...

"The French ministers floo was no social call unfortunately" Kingsley Shaklebolt leaned back heavily on his chair at the head of the table in the smallest conference room at the ministry and looked down at his steepled fingers as if deciding what to say next.

Hermione took that pause to gaze blearily at the others slumped in their chairs around the table. It was 6.00 am in the morning on a Saturday and the boys had all been out drinking the night before. She herself had stayed up past 2.00 am working on her notes and presentation materials for the all-important meeting on Monday morning. Right now, much like everyone else, she was trying to shake the sleep from her eyes and stifle her yawns.

Harry sat to her right, emerald green eyes bloodshot and only halfway open. He hadn't even bothered donning his robes and had instead turned up in muggle jeans and t-shirt. Ron on her left was no better, robes askew and rumpled, rubbing at his eyes and raking his fingers through his hair as he struggled to stay awake. Seamus Finnegan, newly arrived from Albania appeared to not even have gone home after his night of drinking.

Sitting to the right of Shaklebolt was undersecretary Percy Weasley. Despite sitting stiffly in his chair clutching papers and a quill, even Percy looked slightly ruffled, hair uncombed and not quite focused. Others at the table included Kevin Whitby, whom Hermione remembered as being in Hufflepuff at Hogwarts but did not know too well, Gawain Robards, head of the aurors, Mandy Brocklehurst, a brilliant tracker who was in Ravenclaw in their year and Stewart Ackerly. Hermione and Stewart were friends and had even gone on a few dates. He was a Ravenclaw in their year at Hogwarts although she didn't really remember him at school. Stewart was a great duellist and one that Harry requested on his team many times. At the moment however, like everyone else, Stewart also appeared to be struggling to keep his eyes open.

Shaklebolt sighed and started over "There's been another attack in Nice. Two muggles killed and one apparently obliviated. The muggle authorities are working overtime; there is no cause of death because the killing curse leaves no marks and suspicion is fast falling on the man who claims to have no memory of the event. French wizarding law enforcement was too slow getting to the scene of the crime despite detecting traces of unforgivable magic, and now there are too many muggle memories to swipe. If they don't work quickly, the third man is going to be arrested and jailed for a crime he obviously did not commit" Shaklebolt finished with a wave of his hand.

"Do we know who these people are?" Mandy asked. "The two who were killed, Joseph and Melanie Guerin are or were both ancient history professors. The other man, Robin, is Melanie Guerin's brother. He works in a muggle bank" Shaklebolt replied.

Hermione felt her heart sink "Ancient history?" she asked Shaklebolt in a whisper almost. "Yes. They both specialised in ancient Greece" Shaklebolt said looking directly at her.

This was the third such attack on muggle professors who specialized in ancient Greece within the period of a year. Hermione had been on the case since last January when the first attack happened in Greece itself. Three muggle professors of three different universities had been targeted and killed with the killing curse although there didn't seem to be any signs of the cruciatus or forced veritaserum. The next attack had been in London city; a young ancient Greek professor who had just returned from Santorini; killed on her way home from work. Lastly, an entire team of American Greek scholars had been killed while on expedition in Egypt. The logistics of clearing up the Egypt murders were so complex that several ministries had gotten involved. Sadly, of the team which comprised of fifteen people, nine had been very young; newly appointed professors from the looks of it. Hermione felt her brain buzzing a mile a minute with all the information she had collected since she had begun this case and then begun to see a pattern emerging. This was getting out of hand and she felt a rush of urgency as she contemplated the latest murder.

"Wait though" Ron had spoken up. "If this is connected to the murders in Egypt, why would the killers obliviate the other man instead of killing him? They didn't seem to have a problem killing in numbers before. Has someone gone through the man's memories?"

Hermione started at Ron's question. Why didn't she think of that? She was so caught up in the specifics of the case that she had forgotten all about the other man.

"The French muggle authorities have released the man on bail pending trial. French wizarding law enforcement has not approached the man yet". Shaklebolt replied. "That's to be understood actually" Robards shifted in his chair slightly, turning to look at the others at the table. "we're supposed to exercise extreme caution when dealing with muggles, especially ones who've had their memories modified. If you're not used to magic and magic being performed on you, like wizards are, it can cause a lot of problems mentally and physically, for muggles. Going through Robin's memories would mean we would have to detain him, bring him into the French ministry and then obliviate him again when he's released. He may end up with permanent brain damage with that much memory modification. It's not practical" he finished with a sigh.

"So, we won't get to see what he knows at all? But it would help us crack the case!" Whitby's face appeared to be scrunched up in confusion, but Hermione suspected that he was also suffering from a class A hangover.

"I'm not saying it's not done, I'm just saying it's extremely dangerous. For the muggle" Robards shrugged. Shaklebolt looked at Harry for input but Harry seemed to be lost in thought and missed Shaklebolt's pointed stare. "I've requested the French ministry to hand us the case so that our team can approach Mr. Robin for his memory extraction". "Pending the decision taken about the case as a whole on Monday, we will decide how to proceed" Shaklebolt finished still stealing glances at Harry.

Hermione tensed at the mention of the meeting. It all depended on her and whether she could convince the minister and a team of ministry council members of the veracity of her claims. After that, if she's successful, these murders would be her case to solve; along with the larger issue of a certain mythical figure and her mythical box.

Shaklebolt was still speaking as she shook herself from her thoughts. "I've called you all here specifically because apart from myself, Percy and Robards, you all will be in the team sent to solve these murders if Ms. Granger is successful in convincing the council on Monday to allow you all to do so. You are all seasoned aurors, and I expect you to work harmoniously with other… parties should the necessity arise. I don't think I need to stress the importance and urgency of this case. Should you be approved for mission, you will be working with aurors from other countries as well as other personnel that have been requested specifically by Ms. Granger. I expect you to work well with them and not let down the reputation of our ministry." "That is all. You are dismissed. I will see you all at 9am sharp on Monday". Shaklebolt ended his mini speech but remained seated. "Ms. Granger a word please. Harry and Ronald please stay back as well".

Hermione hadn't even moved so she remained as she was. Ron stopped himself mid-way through a stretch and settled down again, Harry still seemed to be comatose. The others apart from Percy and Robards, shuffled out, still stifling their yawns. Stewart briefly touched Hermione's shoulder on the way in what must have been a reassuring gesture although Hermione was too preoccupied to appreciate it.

"Hermione, Malfoy has sent over a letter accepting our request that he join us on Monday" Shaklebolt began, his tone much lower and informal than before. "However, he has also requested to add two members of his team to our list, I just wanted to check if that's okay with you". At this Shaklebolt gestured to Percy who handed him a letter clearly embossed with the Malfoy crest.

"Who does ferret boy want to join him?" Ron asked with a smirk. Across from him, Robards growled at Ron's immature use of a childhood nickname. Shaklebolt too sent him a glare before returning his gaze to Hermione. "He wants Theodore Nott and Tracey Davies to accompany him. He says that they are his trusted advisors and that whatever decisions he may have to make cannot be made without them. He vouches for their trustworthiness. What say you Hermione?"

Hermione felt her face scrunch, "I remember Theodore; quiet boy, really thin, right?" "Is he a member of Malfoy's defence team?"

Beside her, Hermione felt Harry finally stir. "No" he answered. "Theo is like his right-hand man. He's supposed to be like a strategist and spokesperson and administrator all rolled into one. I've met him a few times. He's alright" Harry's voice was raspy, as if he had been shouting all night, and knowing his penchant for loud singing when drunk, he may well have sung himself hoarse, Hermione thought.

"Tracey is in his defence team. She's like a leader of sorts. She's pretty good on the field" Ron said, examining his fingers. Hermione noticed that a few knuckles appeared to be bruised and by the look on Ron's face, he was just noticing them too. She also saw his eyes widen and his quick panicked glance at Harry, who suddenly slumped further down in his chair, eyes downcast.

Coming to the realisation that something was up between the boys, Hermione rushed to finish the meeting so that she could get them to come out with it. "So, you're both ok with Theodore and Tracey?" she asked. "yes" Harry rasped while Ron shrugged indicating that he wasn't particularly bothered by it. "They can come". She said looking at Shaklebolt. She realised that Shaklebolt too was looking at Harry strangely while Robards was staring at Ron's knuckles. Percy looked like he might be ill.

"Okay then" Shaklebolt said brushing off his robes as he got up, Percy scrambling up behind him. "I shall inform Mr. Malfoy and I will see you all on Monday. Have a good weekend" with another appraising look at Harry and Ron, Shaklebolt strode out of the room, Percy at his heels. Robards strolled out a little slower, nodding at Hermione as he left.

"Alright you two, out with it".


	4. Chapter Four

Author's note: Once again, Thank you!

I own nothing

Less than two hours after leaving the ministry, Hermione was brushing off her clothes as she stepped through the floo at the Burrow. Despite her heated attempts to get the boys to divulge what had occurred the night before, they both remained adamantly tight lipped. She had finally left them in a huff and gone home. As soon as she had stepped into the shower however, Ron's owl had tapped at her window and an invitation to lunch had been extended. Ron had also promised to tell her what had happened last night, so she had let her curiosity get the better of her and had arrived immediately. There was no one in the hall, although a quick glance out the window showed her that most of the family was outside.

A clink of glass told her that someone was also in the kitchen, so she decided to check there first. As she stepped through the arch of the kitchen, her eyes fell on a shock of jet black hair. Harry was seated at the table, with his back to her, clutching a mug of what appeared to be coffee that he had just poured from a pot standing nearby. Walking closer and around to the front, Hermione noted with a start that a side of Harry's face was bruised purple as if from a sturdy punch. Sighing, she sat down beside him.

"I think the glamour's wearing off Harry". She stated in a deadpan. Harry barely moved at her sudden appearance beside him. He shifted slightly and then rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Long night 'mione", he rasped. "Will you tell me what happened?" she asked almost afraid of hearing what it was he had to say. Her fears were slightly allayed as she noted a small smirk form on her best friend's face. "Me and Ron had a small, disagreement, you could say". "Over what?" she shrilled. Without a word, Harry gestured outside just as Ginny Weasley whizzed by on her broom.

Hermione turned to get a better look out the window facing the large meadow outside the Burrow. There seemed to be a makeshift quidditch pitch set up and a game in progress. Ginny, Bill, Charlie and Cho Chang were on their brooms. Bill's daughter Victoire and Tonk's son Teddy were sitting on the lawn with Molly and Fleur. Ron and George were a little way off, on a bench under a tree and Ron seemed to have his head in his hands while George watched the game. Percy and his wife Audrey were on the other side of the ground with Arthur.

She turned back to Harry, "you fought about Ginny?" she asked. Harry shrugged wordlessly as a loud cheer rang up from outside. Hermione watched as the riders hopped from their brooms and shook hands, Ginny whooping loudly. After a while, she trooped into the kitchen, Bill in tow, and came straight for Hermione grinning widely. After a bone-crushing hug, Ginny tossed a smirk in Harry's direction as she leaned up against the kitchen counter. "Did you tell her about last night's adventure?" she asked. Harry only grimaced in reply. "How come you all know what happened and I don't?" Hermione asked not a little peeved at being left out of the loop. Bill grinned "don't get upset Hermione, we all know because we were there, and the adults know because Percy was there". "Percy?" Hermione asked.

"Alright look, it was my fault and I'm sorry" Ron announced walking into the kitchen, George trailing in behind him. Hermione could see Percy, Audrey and Arthur walking towards the kitchen as well. Bill sat down beside Hermione and leaned in conspiratorially. "I'll make a long story short; after a few rounds of drinks, the lads here began talking about girls, as boy do after a few rounds of drinks" Bill paused to take a swig of pumpkin juice. "Well during that all-important conversation, Ron saw fit, after a month away, to inquire from Harry here, just what he was doing with our baby sister". Hermione almost dropped the coffee pot she had picked up to pour herself a mug as she looked incredulously towards Ron while Ginny rolled her eyes and her head back. Ron stared mulishly at the ground "I said I'm sorry" he murmured. "Meanwhile, our Harry, who was sloshed to the brim mind, began well; logically, but stumbling a bit, explaining to íckle Ron here that what he does with our sister is none of Ron's bloody business, but Ron just wouldn't let it go" George continued.

"It all went downhill from there actually, Hi Hermione" Cho called out as she traipsed into the kitchen. Ginny and Cho played together for the Holyhead Harpies and Cho visited often, so Hermione was used to seeing her at the burrow. She smiled at Cho distractedly before asking "and then what happened?"

"They just got louder and louder" Bill continued, clearly enjoying himself. "And drunker" George added. "Until Harry couldn't take it anymore and yelled out something no man should have to hear about his baby sister, loud as could be for the entire bar to hear, just as Percy walked in. A few seconds later, Ron had clocked him one" Bill stated, struggling not to laugh. "a few seconds after that, they were both lying on the floor, drunk to oblivion, and the others got caught in the moment and just started throwing punches left, right and centre" he finished. "It was an absolute madhouse" George said reminiscently." "A free for all. They were punching each other after a while".

"What did you say to Ron?" Hermione asked turning to Harry. "I think the exact words were 'I shagged her thrice in your bathroom last weekend" Bill said finally giving into a fit of giggles. Hermione gasped, "Oh Harry" she breathed out, hand on her chest. "I was drunk 'mione, bloody drunk to my eyebrows. I'm sorry Gin" Harry rasped looking appealingly at Ginny. She stalked over, "that is Not. An. Excuse. Harry Potter", she emphasised each word with a smack upside his head. "Do you know how many hours of lecturing I've had from Percy since I woke up this morning? About keeping my virtue and saving myself for marriage and on and bloody on. Did you have to yell so loudly Merlin?" shaking her head, Ginny stalked out of the kitchen. Harry looked up a few minutes later and caught Ron's eye. They both smirked simultaneously, and Hermione knew that they were ok, although Harry probably had a lot of explaining to do and downright awkwardness going around.

As she processed this latest news, Hermione realised that Bill had said that Harry and Ginny had shagged last weekend. Did that mean they were back together? She sighed and shook her head, looking at harry out of the corner of her eye. Harry and Ginny had the most tempestuous relationship one could imagine. Ginny was all fire and Harry knew millions of ways of firing her up. They took breaks from each other almost continuously, claiming that distance made it hard to maintain a proper relationship. Ginny was off training and touring most of the year and Harry was off on missions a lot of the time too, so the separations made sense. What didn't make sense however was how those breaks always ended the moment they laid eyes on each other. They fought like mad but had so much passion and, dare she say it, love, that they always kept coming back to each other. Hermione knew that they would end up together someday; they couldn't not. And apparently, despite Harry's claims that they were on another of their breaks, they had made time to call it off last weekend. She smiled to herself; as long as they made each other happy, they could take as many breaks as they wanted as far as she was concerned.

Hermione realised through her ruminations, that she, Ron and Harry were now the only ones left in the kitchen as the others had drifted into the hall. Ron seemed to have come to the same realisation. "So, are you ready for Monday?" he asked, taking a seat in front of her and Harry. "yes" she said slowly, turning the mug over in her hands. "She's intimidated by Malfoy" Harry rasped before coughing into his hand. "What? Really?" Ron asked with a laugh. "No, I am not" Hermione replied sternly sending Harry a glare. "I merely said that he's changed since I last saw him. He's more, grown up" she finished lamely. "He's still the same twat he was in school 'mione, he's just put on more years". Ron said while he and Harry snickered.

Hermione hesitated, rotating the mug in her hands a little faster. "Is he really like he was in school though? Does he still believe, he's better than everyone? You know, because he's a pureblood? Because if he does, you know, I might not want to work with him. That much". She realised she was rambling, but she just had to say what had been bothering her ever since she found out that she'd have to work with Malfoy. Deep in her heart, Hermione knew she was a powerful witch and that her gift of magic had nothing to do with her blood status. But ever since Hogwarts, Malfoy in particular had made her doubt herself. His constant taunts and insults about her blood status and inherent inferiority had often left her self-conscious and depressed for days although she never showed it. All those feelings of inadequacy came to a head when she was being tortured by Bellatrix at the manor in front of Malfoy, who watched her; terrified, but doing nothing about it. She always felt that the reason he didn't even try to help was because he felt that she was not worth going against his deranged aunt for. Now, she knew she didn't fear Malfoy, but she feared his judgement. And going in for a potentially dangerous mission, she didn't know if she could work with a man who wouldn't deem her worthy of being saved or rescued. Harry, Ron and many aurors wouldn't hesitate a second to come to her aid. But would Malfoy?

Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck again. "Hermione, just to be clear, what he thinks or doesn't think about you is completely irrelevant. He just needs to follow your orders and have your back. And you can be sure that all of us will be there to make sure he does just that". "Yeah and c'mon Hermione, you know you can put him in his place if he even steps a toe out of line" Ron agreed. Harry stood up and stretched, "I honestly don't know if his views on blood status have changed. We don't really sit around exchanging worldviews. He does his job and leaves. He's generally polite and hasn't given us reason to doubt him yet". "Plus, he's actually good at what he does Hermione" Ron said leaning back in his chair, "he knows his potions, knows about dark artefacts and how to counter them, he's good in a fight. If we really do need him on this, he'll consider this just like any other job".

"But if he does or says anything that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to hex his unmentionables" Harry chuckled on the way out.

"Well, as long as I'm free to do that…" Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. She linked arms with Ron and walked out of the kitchen and into the hall.


	5. Chapter Five

Author's note: Sorry for the delay in updating and I own nothing.

She was way too early.

This is what Hermione thought as she paced the floor of her office; coffee cooling on her table, a half-eaten sandwich tossed carelessly onto her stack of files. She knew in the rational part of her mind that her pacing would achieve nothing except her being winded and her hair looking more and more like a wild animal had slept in it. She had tossed her curly brown locks into a messy bun in the morning with every intention of making it presentable by 9am but she rather thought that might be impossible now considering that she had spent the past two hours pulling at it and then pushing it back into the bun.

Why am I thinking about my hair? She wondered, pacing again. Her biggest fear at the moment was that her plan of action would be rejected by the council as too outlandish and that she would have to let the French authorities handle the case as an isolated incident when she was sure the murders in Nice were linked to the previous ones. She also knew in her gut that her theory about Pandora carried some truth although the council might need a little stretch of imagination to accept it. And what about Malfoy? would he accept? Or would he laugh off her ideas and walk away? At the moment, Hermione didn't know to what extent they would need Malfoy's help, but she did know that in certain possible scenarios, Malfoy's presence would be essential.

It was still 8am. They boys were probably still asleep. Hell, everyone was probably asleep except security, who had nodded at her politely while she strode in through the main atrium of the ministry.

Hermione sat down and went through the team list she had compiled and requested, for what seemed like the millionth time. She had gone over the names with Ron and, so she knew that they list was good. Of the aurors, she had asked for Ron and Harry, Mandy Brocklehurst, Seamus Finnegan, Stewart Ackerly and Euan Abercrombie. She had worked with all of them personally on separate occasions and she liked them all. They were resourceful, and she could trust each one of them with her life. She was about to pull out the names of the specialised consultants she had requested when there was a sharp rap on her door.

"yes?" she called out. The door opened, and Harry walked in, halfway through a yawn. "why are you up so early?" Hermione asked, eying her best friend. "s' almost 8.30, shouldn't we get going?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed and pointed her wand at her hair. One of the few glamour charms she knew worked her hair into a presentable bun at the nape of her neck. She stood up and brushed off her robes. "fine. Let's go". She picked up her files and led Harry out of her office and down the corridor, this time to the biggest conference room in the ministry.

The large oval shaped room had chairs in a circle, three rows deep. Hermione knew from her meeting with Shaklebolt on Friday, that she had to sit on one side, facing the council members and Shaklebolt on the other. When she strode in, Seamus, Mandy and Euan had already found themselves seats behind her and were talking silently. They each gave her and Harry welcoming smiles as they settled down. A few minutes later, Ron walked in eating a donut and fell into the chair on her right. He passed another donut to Harry on her left while offering her half of the one she assumed he had just eaten. "Sorry 'mione, I ate half of yours. I thought you would have already eaten and I was so hungry" he looked at her pleadingly. "it's alright Ron" she muttered back distractedly, noticing that there was less than ten minutes left. She fell back into her research material while she felt the chairs filling up on either side of her.

At precisely five minutes to 9, the door opened to admit Shaklebolt, Percy and Shaklebolts personal secretary, a motherly woman whose name eluded Hermione. As they settled into chairs opposite her, the door opened once more to admit the ten council members who all walked in together. They were mostly old ministry officials who presided over cases that required liaising with foreign ministries and that dealt with the more serious crimes such as murders. Hermione didn't look too closely at them but instead focused on the large clock behind Shaklebolt. As the hand came towards 9 o'clock, she took a deep breath and stood up. Before she could begin however, there was a steady knock and Malfoy walked in followed by Theodore Nott and Tracey Davies.

Malfoy was in his usual black robes, hair slicked back and eyes emotionless as always. With curt nods to Shaklebolt and Harry, Malfoy strode over to the far left of the room and sat with Nott on his right and Davies just behind him. Nott was still thin and tall, with an air of intelligence about him that Hermione didn't quite remember him having at school. His eyes though were much softer than Malfoy's she noticed as he gave her the briefest smile. Hermione couldn't really remember what Tracey had looked like in school, but today she was stunningly beautiful. With an athletic build, dark eyes and shining black hair in a long plait down to her waist, Hermione wondered again how she had forgotten the Slytherin girl. She came back to the present however, as Tracey flashed a brilliant smile at Ron before leaning in to whisper in Malfoy's ear.

"Ms. Granger" Shaklebolt began. "Everyone in this room including the council members have been brought up to date on the details of the case so far. All we require now is your proposal on how to handle it. Now, I understand that you have a theory of sorts on how all of this is connected and we would be grateful if you could be concise in your explanation of it".

Hermione took another breath, steeled herself and began.

"When the attacks on muggles began, the obvious connection that we found between them was that the victims were all specialists in ancient Greek history. All three professors murdered in Greece, the British professor, and three of the fifteen people killed in Egypt were all scholars studying ancient Greek history or Greek mythology. They had all done research on various areas of Greek history and were published academics. At first glance this seemed to be the only connection. It took me a while to realise that there was another one. All of the muggles who had been killed had, at some point in their careers, done research on Pandora and Pandora's box. One of the young professors killed in Egypt had even put forward a theory on where Pandora's box might be found". Hermione took another breath and spared a quick glance around the room. Almost all the purebloods faces were in varying degrees of confusion whereas the muggle-borns of the lot merely looked surprised.

"I understand that most of you, do not know who Pandora is or what her box may be, so I will explain briefly. In Greek mythology, it is said that there was once an extraordinarily beautiful woman by the name of Pandora whom the Greek Gods created as a spouse to Epimetheus, who was a titan. Epimetheus and his brother Prometheus are considered to be the entities that created mankind. But Zeus, who is a Greek God wanted to punish the brothers for giving humans the gift of fire, which he believed they did not need. So after creating Pandora, Zeus also created a box in to which he put all the evils of the world, like disease, pain, betrayal. He gave this box to Pandora and commanded her not to open it. But Pandora was a very curious woman who couldn't help but open the box to look inside. When she did so, all the evils of the world came out and dispersed, leaving only hope. Ancient Greeks used this story to explain the reason for all the misery in the world".

Hermione paused here, trying to figure out how to continue. Shaklebolt cleared his throat. "Can you explain to us how this story affects our case?". Hermione took a moment to organize her thoughts. This is where fact led slowly into speculation, so she wanted to tread lightly.

"I know many of you have heard of Falcon Aesalon, the wizard who first discovered how to turn himself into an Animagus. But most people don't know much about his wife. While Falcon was supposed to be an immensely powerful wizard, it is said that his magic paled in comparison to that of his wife. However, while Falcon was a benevolent man who spent his time amongst animals mostly, his wife was feared within the wizarding community for her penchant for dark magic. My research shows that she was the one who created several dark spells including many of the spells used in blood magic. She was also supposed to be good at making potions and apparently used those potions to harm people. It is also rumoured that she may have been the one to create and perfect the crutiatus curse". Hermione continued, finally looking up and directly at the panel. "In two wizarding history books, I have found reference to some evil device that Falcon Aesalon's wife created that is said to have struck fear into the hearts of all who heard of it. It was even written that the main reason Falcon worked so hard to turn himself into a falcon was to escape his wife and the dark artefacts she was creating. After combing through all the data I found, I believe that it's quite possible she created some sort of evil device or spell or potion that could cause great harm. And this is why muggle professors who have studied the Pandora myth are being hunted. It is possible someone is using legilimency on them to get their information, as we have had no evidence of veritaserum or torture". Hermione finished and looked around the room once more. Almost everyone seemed to be lost in thought.

"But dear" a lady from the council leaned forward. "I don't see how you connected the stories about Falcon Aesalon's wife to your muggle myth".

"This part has some speculation I admit" Hermione looked down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not saying there is an actual Pandora's box. But we all know through experience that almost all muggle myths find their origins in the wizarding world. With that in mind, it is entirely possible that Falcon's wife created something evil that could be paralleled to all the evil in Pandora's box. The story always has some basis in fact".

"Ok but Miss, why do you feel that Falcon's wife and the lady in the muggle myth are the same?" An elderly gentleman from the back asked.

"Because" Hermione tore her eyes away from her file to look at the council. "Falcon Aesalon's wife's name was Pandora".


	6. Chapter Six

Silence greeted Hermione at her words. She honestly wasn't going for effect with her last sentence although it appeared that she had gotten it. She was worried about sensationalising the case especially if it turned out that the connection she had made to Pandora in the Greek myth had nothing to do with the Pandora who was married to Falcon Aesalon. She dropped her head now and waited for Shaklebolt or one of council members to speak.

"So, you believe that the attacks and murders are happening because someone is trying to find this dark object?" a voice from the back of the room spoke. "Yes" Hermione replied, whipping her head up to see who it was that spoke but unable to identify the speaker.

"What do you propose we do"? It was Shaklebolt this time.

"First, I propose that we meet with Robin Montserrat. He's the brother of one of the last victims. Although he has been obliviated, we might be able to extract whatever remaining memories he may have and get some clues as to who the attackers are and what their intentions might be. If that's successful, we can then plan how to apprehend them".

She was given a few moments following her words as the council spoke to one another quietly, some leaning over to speak to Shaklebolt.

"I have a question". The lady who had spoken earlier leaned forward again. "Let's say we find the attackers before they find this dark object. What do you propose to do about the object itself? Will you look for it? Destroy it if possible? Study it? Or will you simply forget about it after you make an arrest?"

Hermione took a moment as she tossed that question around in her head. Such an object, if there really was one, was obviously better left alone. Going after it would only ensure that others will try to take it and use it for evil, if it were found. However, by letting it be, they were leaving it vulnerable for another group of dark wizards to go after. Then the solution would be to find it and destroy it. But an ancient artefact imbibed with such magic would offer academics years of study material. It might even be irresponsible to find it and not bring it in to the department of mysteries to be studied and analysed.

"Ms. Granger, can you answer the question please? Surely this is not the first time you have thought about this" Shaklebolt stated narrowing his eyes at Hermione.

"If the attackers are going after some dark object, then the immediate course of action would be to prevent them from finding it. If that would mean for us to find it, then I assume we would bring it in to the ministry if possible. Depending on what it is and what it does however, it might be necessary to destroy it immediately. This is all pure speculation however; we don't even know if such a thing exists. The attackers may simply believe that it does. The answer to that question would have to be highly circumstantial" Hermione finished, forcing more confidence into her words than she actually felt.

More murmurs followed her statement. She took that time to look down at Harry who smiled encouragingly at her and then at Ron who had his head bent over the briefing file she had provided for everyone there. Her eyes flickered momentarily towards Malfoy. He was looking straight ahead but his attention seemed to be on whatever Theo was whispering in his ear.

Hermione looked forward just in time to see Shaklebolt gesture for her to take a seat. She leaned back and let her shoulders slump as soon as she sat down. The council members in front of her seemed to be in a flurry of conversation. She only heard snippets of what they were saying before tuning them out altogether. Ron reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. She smiled at him in response and went back to her file. After about fifteen minutes of deliberation, Shaklebolt stood up.

"It is the council's decision that this case be handled by our ministry. They are hereby giving me and Gawain Robbards full authoritative control over the proceedings. Although the head of the aurors is not present at the moment, I can assure the council that we will act in the best interest of ours and the international wizarding communities. On the field, Mr. Potter will be in charge".

Hermione felt herself relax as she listened to Shaklebolt name the team that she had put together.

They were going to solve the case. It was one of the biggest and strangest cases she had ever worked on and she was excited and nervous all at once.

"Ms. Granger, the council would like to know your reasons for hiring three consultants" Shaklebolts words shook her out of her thoughts.

"I have requested Neville Longbottom to consult if we have need of a herbologist. As I said earlier, there is no way to know what we would be dealing with so it's better to be prepared. I have requested Blaise Zabini to help us with foreign liaison. Blaise is proficient in several languages including Greek and Arabic which I feel will be very important to us. Lastly, I have requested for Ernie McMillan from St. Mungos. Ernie specialises in memory charms and is a skilled legilimens. I feel we will greatly depend on his skills throughout the case as the attacker's seem to prefer using legilimency". Hermione looked around the room as she spoke, happy to see Ernie and Blaise both seated towards the back. She had worked with both of them on different occasions and was glad they had agreed to consult. Neville could not be there unfortunately as he was busy with his professor duties at Hogwarts. He had however, promised to help in any way.

The silence that followed gave Hermione hope that the meeting would soon end. There was so much to plan and organize, especially if they were to leave immediately.

"Just one last question dear" the same witch who kept asking questions looked over at Hermione once again. "Why is Mr. Malfoy here?"

Hermione sat up a little straighter. The witch continued. "Surely our ministry has enough skilled aurors to handle this case without bringing in outside defence teams" she said the last part directly to Shaklebolt. Hermione had rather hoped the council would have left before she had to explain why it was that she had requested for Malfoy to be on the team. This was going to be tricky.

She cleared her throat with a little cough and began speaking, determinedly avoiding looking at Malfoy.

"As I said earlier, Pandora was an extremely powerful witch who came from a long line of pure blood ancestry. She and Falcon had four children and their line can be traced through the succeeding generations. They all lived in Greece however till the last century when one of them appeared to have migrated to France. Bartholemew Aesalon married a pure blood witch called Sara and their great grandson is said to have arrived in England at the beginning of this century. The line continues until Walburga Pritchett, the last known descendant of Pandora, who married a man from another prominent and long pure blooded family, Phineous Malfoy. Their son, Abraxous was Draco Malfoy's grandfather. So, as it is, Malfoy" Hermione said stealing a quick glance at the aristocratic blond, "is the last known descendant of Pandora".

She took a long breath. "If there is such an object, knowing what we do about Pandora, it is quite possible that there are blood charms and familial wards placed on it. If this is the case, Malfoy could be the only one capable of locating it or controlling it. This is why we need him".


	7. Chapter Seven

So, here we are again.

Hermione thought with a small sigh.

She was once again sitting at a large mahogany desk, at Malfoy Manor, across from her old nemesis who was, at the moment, writing frantically with his head bent. Malfoy looked very much like someone who had been rudely awoken from his slumber, as he most definitely was.

Harry's letter had told Hermione to get to Malfoy Manor by 9am. However, in her usual rush and with the added panic of packing and organizing, she had found herself at the Manor almost an hour early. She had told the Malfoy's house elf that she would be more than happy to wait in the hallway until Malfoy awoke but was ushered into his study all the same. A few minutes later, Malfoy himself appeared looking more ruffled than she had ever seen him. Granted she had never seen him just out of bed before. He had hastily thrown on some proper robes, but parts of his hair stood straight up, and he was rubbing his eyes furiously. He had waved away her apology at appearing too early and had sat down to write. Apart from the minor distraction of a house elf bringing tea for Hermione and coffee for Malfoy, they were in complete silence.

It was the day after the council meeting and Hermione supposed Malfoy had gotten over the indignity of being called the sole descendant of a very evil witch. After her explanation as to why Malfoy was important to the case, he had demanded, with barely controlled derision, for her to produce proof of her claims on his ancestry. She had done so, and the entire council had waited patiently for Malfoy to verify for himself that her findings were true. It had taken two ministry officials specialising in genealogy and one ancient house elf who had served in Abraxous Malfoy's household to prove to Malfoy that what she was saying could be possible.

"And just what is it you expect me to do if this evil object is found?" He had demanded after the house elf had finished giving his testimony.

"Malfoy" Hermione had begun soothingly only to be cut off. "I've had enough speculations Granger. Just tell me, am I supposed to donate blood each time you suspect a blood ward is in place? Am I to be a puppet of some sort for your little team? A tracking device?" he spat.

Hermione had winced at the venom in his voice but was saved from answering by Harry. "Malfoy look, no one is going to be ordering you around. We want your help to sort this mess out quickly. We won't just need you to handle blood wards, you'll be an actual member of the team".

"You should also remember Mr. Malfoy" Shaklebolt began slowly, "that your service is required by the British Wizarding ministry and not for Harry's or Hermione's personal adventures. You are beholden to the ministry to which you belong. Therefore, I warn you to tread lightly. Until now, we have formally and politely requested your assistance in the hope that you will acquiesce in an equally graceful manner. If you do not accept our request, we will not hesitate to make your assistance mandatory". Shaklebolt spoke calmly and quietly but the threat in his words was not lost on anyone.

"Fine" Malfoy sneered after a few tense moments. "but I will not be wondering around the globe while you lot go looking for mythical evil objects. If my presence is required, I will come but I will not hang around indefinitely for that requirement to arise".

"Fine" Shaklebolt countered, with a scathing look at the seething young man. "If that is all, I propose that the council be adjourned. We will break for an hour for lunch after which, I will require all aurors on the team to reconvene with Harry and Robbards for briefing. I also request Mr. Malfoy his team to join them. Time is of the essence and we have already lost precious hours deliberating. Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I thank you". After this statement, Shaklebolt stood and allowed the council to precede him out the door.

Malfoy never turned up for the meeting.

Nott had appeared with Davies in tow, apologizing for Malfoy's absence; Malfoy was elsewhere detained, he had mentioned wryly. During the minutiae of planning however, they had realised that it was not the best of ideas to stay at ministry safehouses during their trip to France, which would begin the following day, as that would cost them the element of surprise. Rather, it was decided that the team would be split up and housed in civilian residences with the ruse of appearing as groups on holiday. Nott had offered to find placements for the team through Malfoy's contacts. Hermione had puzzled throughout that meeting, how in Merlin's name they were going to get along with Malfoy for the duration of the case. She had determined for herself, to stay out of his way as much as possible.

Which was why, she was extremely annoyed to receive an owl in the middle of the night, telling her to go to Malfoy Manor the next morning to collect letters of introduction to Malfoy's contacts in France who were offering them living space. A quick floo call to the Burrow told her, in Ron's guilty voice, that they had picked straws as to who would have to go there. She had lost by default as she had already left to go to the library, soon after the briefing. Leaving Ron with harsh muttered words, Hermione had fell to packing, woken up with a start the next morning on the couch and had been sure she was late. Which was the reason why she was at Malfoy Manor an hour early.

She sighed again and was about to slip into another reverie when a quiet 'pop' announced the presence of Malfoy's house elf.

"Master Malfoy, Miss Greengrass is at the floo in master's bedroom. She wishes to speak with you immediately" the house elf squeaked.

"Please tell her Marley, that I am occupied presently and that I will floo her back soon as I'm done" Malfoy muttered, eyes focused on the letter in his hand.

The house elf bowed and apparated out with another 'pop'.

Hermione was attempting to remember who 'miss Greengrass' was when the elf popped back in bowing low. "Apologies Master, Miss Greengrass says it is urgent and that she needs to know which evening gown you prefer for her for this evening".

Hermione felt her eyes widen at the thought of Malfoy being consulted for fashion advice when he sighed and rolled his head back. "Please tell Astoria that I said she would look heavenly in whichever one she chooses. And that I will come to her soon".

Hermione didn't even notice her mouth dropping open. She was notified of the fact by Malfoy who spotted her as he was bending his head back onto the letters in front of him. "Dislocated your jaw Granger?" he asked.

"I'm – wait – no wait – sorry. None of my business" Hermione stammered in reply. Malfoy quirked an eyebrow. He watched her for a second before looking back down.

"It's just funny that someone is asking for your fashion advice is all" came out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She groaned inwardly. None. Of. My. Business.

Malfoy looked up at her again and let out what could be called an exasperated sigh. "It wasn't fashion advice Granger, she was merely asking me which I would prefer".

"But why would she even care?" Again, Hermione mentally slapped herself. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut?

"Astoria and I are betrothed. We are seen out together. It would make sense for her to ask me for my opinions on her dress in such occasions".

Hermione cocked her head "huh. Right".

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing" she shrugged. "I just didn't peg you as the dating and romance type".

Malfoy watched her closely for a second. "I didn't say we were dating. We are engaged to be married. It was arranged and agreed upon at some point last year".

Hermione couldn't help but stare incredulously. Betrothed? Arranged? What?

"What Granger?" Malfoy asked impatiently. "It's common practice between pure blood families to arrange marriages between their families. We don't date aimlessly". He narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure Weasley will be proposing to you soon and then you'll be betrothed as well. He is from one of the oldest pure blood families in Britain. He looked down as he said the last sentence, fetching envelopes from one of the drawers in the desk.

Hermione felt her face scrunch up. "Weasley? You mean Ronald? Why would he propose? Oh wait – you mean – oh you think we're still together" Hermione couldn't help the chuckle that fell from her lips after her stammered realisation.

Malfoy paused mid-way through folding letters and pushing them into their envelopes. "I'm sure I saw at some time…" he trailed off.

"No no you're right we were together but, oh gosh, that was more than six years ago" Hermione said.

He kept looking at her questioningly, so she sighed and continued. "Me and Ron, we just didn't work out that way. I mean, I love him dearly but we both realised that we were better off as friends I guess" she finished with a shrug.

She really did love Ronald. It just wasn't enough for her. Hermione had always envisioned for herself a relationship rife with crazed obsession and fire; with a man who drove her to the brink of madness only to catch her when she fell. She had always had dreams of a grand passion in her life, she felt that she deserved to be madly, wildly in love and although she loved Ronald, she didn't feel that passion, that madness. She had safety with Ron, but she didn't want safety, she wanted insanity. Only in her relationships of course. For even just once in her life. She smiled to herself.

"Well.. you're all set. I've written the names of the owners of the three manors on the envelope. Nott told me you had already decided on groups so divide the letters accordingly. I have already spoken to the owners of the three houses, but just make sure they get these letters as well". Malfoy finished, still looking at Hermione strangely. She rather thought it was because he couldn't wrap his head around a couple who claimed they 'just didn't work'.

"Right" she said standing up and brushing her robes. "I will see you in France at some point I imagine". Saying so, she moved out from the front of the desk and stretched her hand out to Malfoy.

He shook it once with a strong grip and nodded to her. With that she spun around and headed to the floo in the hallway. As she stepped into the green flames, she sent out a fervent wish to the forces that be, that she wouldn't have to deal with Malfoy directly again.


	8. Chapter Eight

Once again, so sorry for the delay. I had to present a paper at a research symposium and that took up most of my already depleted time.

Thank you for reading and reviewing and I own nothing.

Flooing into the ministry from Malfoy Manor, Hermione felt a thrill go through her as she realised that this was the first time after the war that she, Harry and Ron were going on a mission together. Was it wrong that she felt exhilarated to be on a mission with them again? That she just knew they would have an amazing adventure together?

Yes. Yes, it was wrong. She shook herself and placed a finger on the portkey that Harry was holding.

The portkey slammed the trio onto the ground.

Hermione crawled out of her place between the two boys and climbed to her feet rather ungracefully. They were on a well-manicured lawn, by the side of a large driveway. At the end of the driveway stood a beautiful but imposing manor. She could see a gentleman standing at the doorway but could not make out any of his features.

Going by the letter of introduction provided by Malfoy, this was the residence of Willem Whitford; a wizard specializing in precious metals used in charmed magical artefacts. Whitford was a British expat who used Malfoy's services regularly and who was apparently more than happy to lend them use of his Manor for the duration of their stay.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Whitford and confirming that the others had also reached their designated destinations, Harry headed out through the floo to the French ministry.

The immediate plan was for Blaise, Harry, Seamus and Ernie to meet with the French wizarding minister and a team of French magical law enforcement to discuss how and when to make contact with Robin Montserrat for his memory extraction. They were also to brief the French ministry on what their procedures would be and to sort out jurisdiction; what and what not they were allowed to do on French soil. They would head to a location in Nice once all the red tape had been sorted out, in order to take Robin in. Hermione could appreciate the enormity of the endeavour they were undertaking. She just hoped her speculations would not be taking them on a wild goose chase.

A little while after Harry had left, Hermione found herself seated in a breakfast nook of sorts going through her notes on the case. Ron had retired to his room to nap and Whitford had gone out on business.

Despite her efforts, Hermione could not shake off the conversation she had had with Ernie just after the council meeting.

"So, are we looking at memory extraction or modification? Or both?" Ernie had asked by way of greeting.

"I honestly don't know. What's the difference?" she had asked.

"Well, if the muggles memory has been hidden, it'll be a case of retrieving it. If it's been taken out completely, then I guess your best bet would be to examine the memories surrounding the event that was obliviated and look for clues. Where he was, what he was doing, that sort of thing". Ernie had replied.

"It's a complicated process for muggles though" he continued, "I'd have to use legilimency on him to see if the memory is there. If its hidden, sometimes the memory is cloudy, and you can't see much. If it's there, I'll have to retrieve it, so you can analyse it in a pensieve. Then finally I'd have to remove a good portion of his memory completely to erase all traces of us in there". Ernie had sighed. "It's why I don't usually like working on muggles who've had their memories messed with".

"What would happen to him?" Hermione had asked, although she thought she quite knew the answer.

"Well, he won't quite be the same. Or at least his memory power won't be. Muggles have a tough time physically processing magic when it's performed on them. Something small like a glamour would leave them feeling slightly sick or nauseous. But this scale of memory modification" Ernie trailed off, shaking his head. "He might find it hard to form coherent thoughts or he might suddenly forget how to do things he's done all his life… It's not pretty".

Hermione knew this all too well. After the war, she, Harry and Ron had travelled to Australia to find her parents. When she had tracked them down and brought in a medi wizard specializing in memory charms to bring their memories back, he had warned her that they would never be the same again and that perhaps, it was kinder to leave them be. At the time, she hadn't cared and had just wanted her parents back.

So, she had gotten them back, but true to the medi wizards words, they were not the Jean and Richard Granger she knew and loved. They remembered her, but did not remember much about her childhood, their lives together or about their dentistry practice. In fact, they could not carry on with their practice at all. At the moment, they lived on the money they received from various investments they had made during their successful run as dentists and spent a majority of their time reading, gardening and just spending time together. Hermione felt stabs of pain and guilt each time she thought about what she had done to her parents, and no amount of rationalizing that it was for their own safety could make up for the fact that her actions had cost them their lives and identities.

"I don't think we've been properly re-introduced out of Hogwarts" A voice said breaking through her thoughts.

Hermione looked up at a tall lanky boy with brown hair and brown eyes smiling a little apprehensively at her.

"Nott. Hello. I'm sorry I forgot Blaise mentioned you and Tracey would be joining us" Hermione felt a little out of sorts. When Blaise told her at the ministry that Tracey and Theodore would be staying with her and the boys, her first thought had been; 'Now all I need, is to butt heads with those two and I'll be all set'. Considering her awkward run ins with Malfoy, it was hard to imagine herself doing any better with his friends.

"Mind if I sit?" Notts smile was a little more confident now.

"No, of course not". Hermione tidied her files a little as Nott sat down and made himself comfortable.

"So, you seem to have ruffled our fearless leaders feathers quite a bit" Nott said, with a wide grin this time.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"The unshakable Draco Malfoy. He doesn't really like working with you lot on principal but this time he bloody near had an aneurysm".

Hermione sighed. "I really don't see what his problem is. It's not like I insinuated that _he_ was an old evil witch, just that he's the descendent of one".

"True" Nott conceded. "But it is a little insulting".

"What exactly do you do for Malfoy?" Hermione asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, I try to keep him out of trouble and that's pretty much a full time job. Apart from that, I help strategize his missions, I meet clients, keep an eye on the records, that sort of thing".

"Huh" Hermione said cocking her head.

"I'm the son of a convicted Death Eater, Granger, I can't very well walk into the ministry and hand in a CV. Just like Draco can't". Nott finished with a sigh.

Hermione was silent for a few moments but obviously the look on her face told Nott that her brain was whirring.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" He asked, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other.

"Are all pure blood marriages arranged?"

"Ah" Nott chuckled. "Draco mentioned that you seemed surprised he was engaged".

"That's really none of my business. I'm just curious about the practice". Hermione countered.

"Arranged marriage between pure blood wizarding families is the norm, yes. In the case of Malfoy, he's the only heir to the Malfoy line and that makes him an eligible match for pure blood witches despite his position after the war. I believe the Greengrasses met with Narcissa last summer to discuss a bethrothal, as it's called. She and Malfoy accepted and that was it".

"It just seems like such an antiquated tradition" Hermione said feeling her face scrunch up.

"There is a widely held belief among pure bloods that by keeping the line pure, they are preserving the power of their magic. By that theory, magical power is kept intact through marriage between pure bloods and they can prevent squib births. Of course, that theory has been disproven many times by extremely powerful half-bloods like Potter and even muggle-borns like yourself, but the insistence on blood purity comes from that belief. Additionally, there are also those who believe that pure bloods have more powerful magic and marriage between purebloods ensures that the magic remains potent. Again, pure speculation but a belief nonetheless".

"Fascinating" Hermione muttered.

She had opened her mouth to ask Nott more about pure blood etiquette when she heard the sound of the floo opening in the other room. She and Nott both looked up at the sound to see Harry, Blaise and Ernie enter through the doorway.

"Well, it's official, the French Minister is an ass". Blaise spoke flatly before falling into an arm chair in front of a large French window.

"What happened?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"He's insisting that a team of French aurors join us. Says it's most likely that this is just a random crime and that we're all finding connections where there are none." Harry was staring intently at a place on the wall behind Hermione as he spoke. She knew him well enough to know that although he was talking to them, his mind was already miles away.

"There's more" Ernie leant up against the couch Hermione was on. "He wants a French medi wizard to perform the memory extraction. Says he can't trust that I'd give an unbiased report or that I'd be able to perform the extraction well enough to ensure no lasting damage to the muggle. He's also refusing to give us clearance to go to Nice. Says he needs to let his team investigate further. We left Seamus to argue it out with their chief of operations".

"He's behaving exactly like Fudge. He's worried that this will become too big for him to handle". Harry murmured, eyes distant.

"The worry here is that the longer we wait, there's a chance the muggle will be killed. It's also that much harder to extract memories as time goes by. It's hard to find memories as it is, the longer we wait, the more damage he will sustain by us combing through his brain.

"I told you. Minister's bloody useless" Blaise re-joined, leaning forwards.

A throat cleared.

"I might have a plan".


	9. Chapter Nine

I own nothing.

What in Merlin's name is he doing here?

And what on earth is he wearing?

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the tall, blond haired form of Draco Malfoy before turning to her companion, Ernie who was currently draped all over her, playing the part of a devoted boyfriend.

She and Ernie were sitting at a quaint little café in Nice, across from the muggle bank at which Robin Montserrat worked. They were both in disguise; Hermione sporting a face full of makeup, large sunglasses that hid part of her face and a polka doted scarf wrapped over her hair. Ernie was also in oversized sunglasses and with a brown fedora pulled low over his eyes. They both looked, for all intents and purposes, like a couple very much engrossed in themselves and in the apple pie in front of them.

So far, everything was going according to Nott's plan.

Everything except for the presence of the youngest Malfoy, a few tables over. He looked supremely out of place; dressed head to toe in black, sitting as stiff as a board, not so much as a latte in his hands to help him blend in.

At least he had left his robes at home, Hermione thought.

"Malfoy's here" She muttered to Ernie, leaning in, in the guise of spooning up some ice cream.

"What? Where? – Oh. Wait, is this part of plan?" Ernie was on edge, as would be expected. He was a healer, not an auror and he had absolutely no experience on the field.

Granted, this was not a mission so much as it was reconnaissance.

Nott had had some difficulty convincing the others that their best bet would be to send just Ernie and another auror to collect the muggles memory and to do it soon, before the French ministry realised that they had gone.

"You could be in and out; take the memory, and you'd even have less to remove. Just remove the memory of you stunning him. We'll tell the French minister that we agree with his assessment of the situation and that we're leaving the full investigation to them". He had told the group of aurors crowded around him at Whitford's Manor.

"But that's illegal Nott" Ron had said over a yawn.

"Honestly Weasley, I doubt Shaklebolt would even twitch if you told him you had the memory and that you broke the case. Well tell him after the fact of course. It's your best option. Go in on one day and establish his routine. Second day, stun him, take the memory and we can all go back home".

He had finally convinced them over dinner, when Seamus came back, red in the face, with the information that the French ministry had ordered the British Auror team to stand down and be patient.

Hermione was the one chosen to accompany Ernie because out of the lot, she was the most adept at non-verbal magic. Her skill at wandless magic was also quite adequate though not as powerful as Harry's. In this particular instance, as Nott had stressed, stealth was key; they needed someone who could protect Ernie while he performed the memory extraction but also not have the need to verbalise spells and attract attention. Harry couldn't be there because his face was just too well known in the wizarding world. If the French ministry had even gotten a hint of a rumour that someone even remotely similar looking to Harry had been traipsing around Nice, they would put two and two together and the plan would be blown.

So here they were, Ernie and Hermione, for the purpose of scouting out the route that the muggle took home from work.

No. Malfoy being there was not part of the plan.

Hermione sighed and was about to say as much, when out of the corner of her eye she saw Robin Montserrat coming out of the large double doors of the muggle bank. He crossed the road with his head down and began walking quickly in the opposite direction.

"He's out. let's go" Hermione muttered as she gave Ernie's arm a slight pull.

They both got up and walked outside, hesitating only a moment before heading off at a slight distance to the muggle they were following. Hermione determinedly looked forward, ignoring the urge to look back at what Malfoy was doing.

They had been walking steadily for a few minutes, when Montserrat turned away from the route that they knew to be where his home was, and turned instead towards the subway.

Hermione and Ernie exchanged a quick glance before hurrying to follow him down the steps. When he stopped at the grille, Hermione pushed past the people in front of her to hear the station Monserrat was buying tickets to, and bought two tickets for the same destination. Once on the train, they kept close to him hoping to learn where he was headed.

After a short while, Montserrat got a phone call and Hermione had to strain to make out what he was saying in rapid French, cursing her lack of knowledge in languages. She could just barely make out the words, urgent, worried and finally, airport and tickets.

He was leaving the country.

She cocked her head a bit as she contemplated their next move. Although this was not the plan, she knew that they had to get the memory now before he travelled. She could not figure out where he was going but it was highly unlikely that whichever country he was going to, would give a team of British Aurors clearance to extract his memories. Not quickly anyhow.

They had to do it now. When he got off the subway.

She shifted slightly, putting some distance between them and the muggle.

Pretending to lean her head on his shoulder, Hermione explained what they were going to do, to an increasingly jittery Ernie.

She patted his hand to reassure him and then noted that they had to get off at the next station.

She also noted with some degree of satisfaction that the underground stations had little alcoves built into the walls. They were not very deep, or that concealing but they would have to do.

As soon as the train ground to a halt, she and Ernie got off; with the latter walking straight into an alcove a little distance away from the stairwell. Luckily, the station was sparsely populated and only four other passengers disembarked.

She slowed down her pace till she felt Montserrat directly behind her. As soon as he passed her, Hermione discreetly pointed her wand, which was still concealed in her sleeve, at his back and sent him a non-verbal stunning spell. As she was sending out the spell she also leaned forward in one fluid movement and grabbed the back of Montserrat's coat to keep him from falling forward. Another step forward and she had wrapped her other arm around his shoulder, tipped him into her slightly and manoeuvred him into the alcove in which Ernie was now cowering.

"Alright. Hurry up" she whispered tersely.

She noted that Ernie's hands shook slightly as he pulled out his wand and two small vials. She truly hoped he was up to this and that he wouldn't let nerves get the better of him. Beads of sweat formed on Ernie's forehead as he brought the tip of his wand to the muggles temple and whispered the spell.

" _Legilimens_ ".

Ernies eyes slid out of focus and a slight frown marred his features. Hermione knew that Ernie was now combing through the muggles memories looking for the one of the night of the murders.

Just as Ernie gave a slight jerk and began pulling a silvery thread from the tip of his wand, Hermione's peripheral vision noted something odd.

She was facing away from Ernie and the muggle and looking onto the train tracks, all three of them were crouched down, Ernie leaning over the muggle who was slumped on the ground. Across from her and more towards the inner tunnel, she could barely make out a small movement of shadow. Instantly, her posture became rigid as she clasped her wand a little tighter.

She turned her head an inch to the left to check on Ernie's progress when she felt rather than saw, the heat of a stunning spell, graze her shoulder.

Instinctively, Hermione raised her wand and sent out a non-verbal _Protego_ , wide enough to shield the three of them crouched in the alcove.

Another flash of red light.

Someone was throwing stunning spells at them from both sides across the track, hidden in the shadows of another alcove.

Suddenly there was a flash of silver light and a searing heat made its way towards the alcove where Hermione, Ernie and the muggle were. Her Protego was strong enough to repel the spell but she couldn't figure out what the spell was.

Magic cackled at Hermione's fingertips as she poured all of her strength into the shield charm. A quick glance at Ernie told Hermione that he would need at least five minutes more. One memory was already in the vial and Ernie was pulling out another one.

Who were these people?

Hermione struggled to see across the track but all she could make out were outlines and shadows. There were three – no – two wizards, that much she could deduct from the sound they were making.

By her assessment, Hermione knew that she couldn't hold the shield charm for much longer and that soon, whether Ernie was done or not, she would have to break off and begin a counter attack. Already her charm was waning.

"Ernie. Hurry" Hermione bit the words out as she finally broke the _Protego_.

She darted her wand to the left to aim a spell but just then a sharp pain hit her right shoulder. Before her eyes, blood began to soak through the light overcoat she had worn over her dress.

Ignoring the pain, Hermione threw a stunning spell to her right without taking her eyes off the left, hoping fervently that Ernie was done.

As the spell left her consciousness (she was still throwing non-verbals), she knew instinctively that another curse was coming from the left.

As the light of her Stupefy flew to the right another red light flashed to the left, countering the curse coming from that direction.

Before she could register that someone had sent a stunning spell at her attacker on the left, Hermione felt Ernie stir behind her.

"I'm done" he whispered shakily.

She dared not move her wand however and kept it trained at shoulder height to the right, furiously ignoring the pain now travelling down her right arm following the trail of blood. Before she could speak however, another figure came to view, looming over the her, Ernie and the muggle.

Hermione was only half surprised to identify that the figure was Malfoy, standing over them, wand trained to the left.

She took a few calming breaths, listening intently for the sound of any movement. It appeared however that the attackers had stopped.

And yet, the four of them remained in the utmost silence for what felt like an eternity before Malfoy spoke.

"Walk to the stairwell. Apparate out when you're far enough. Do it. Now." He spoke calmly, in a low voice devoid of any emotion.

Hermione and Ernie stood up almost immediately. Although she ignored the pain in her arm, Hermione knew the blood could be seen clearly. So, she quickly untied the scarf from her head and draped it over one shoulder.

She was almost at the stairs when she remembered Robin Montserrat.

Turning quickly, Hermione pointed her wand at the alcove sent a non-verbal _Renerverate_ , watching till she saw slight movement from the muggle.

As the pair drew closer to the stairs, she heard the faint pop of apparition; Malfoy had left.


	10. Chapter Ten

"What were you thinking?" Harry hissed.

Harry was standing in the Whitford Manor's large living room, feet apart, wand clutched in his hand, inches from where Malfoy was standing, leaning against the wall, wand in one hand, the other casually in his pants pocket.

Malfoy looked superbly bored as he eyed Harry with an inscrutable look.

"This was supposed to be a covert mission. Why were you there? You could have blown everything. The French minister is breathing down our necks already". Harry had spun around now and was pacing the floor. "What if you had been seen? Identified?"

"As much as it may surprise you Potter, I actually travel to France quite often for work. The French ministry knows this so my presence in France is not a big deal. I also doubt they know that I'm part of your little group. Besides, I was not idling. I knew these two would be there" he indicated Hermione.

Ernie had gone to lie down before the team had to analyse the muggles memories in a pensieve.

Hermione was sitting on the couch, leaning against one side with her feet stretched out in front of her. She had changed into a muggle t-shirt and jeans, her wound healed and dressed. She was tired, and the earlier adrenaline rush had given way to fatigue she always felt after expending large amounts of magic. Unfortunately, the fatigue was also causing her a considerable amount of irritation.

It was late evening and she and Ernie had discovered that Malfoy had also apparated directly to Whitford Manor as soon as they arrived. They had both however, been whisked away immediately; Hermione to have her shoulder healed, and Ernie to take a strong calming drought.

She had trudged over for briefing as soon as she was released only to see Harry seething, Malfoy ignoring him, and the rest of the team haphazardly scattered all over the room.

"We're just waiting for Harry to run out of steam" Mandy had whispered to her as she had walked in.

Malfoy hadn't even spared her a glance.

Theo had been on the couch earlier but had gotten up as soon as Hermione had walked in, indicating that she should sit down. She had shot him a grateful smile and lowered herself into it.

"How did you know Malfoy?" Harry sounded frustrated now.

"That would be my fault". Nott spoke up. "I briefed him of our plan, I did not ask him to join them though" he rushed on apologetically.

Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why were you there?" This time, Harry sounded a little calmer.

"I've been doing my own research into Granger's muggle murder mystery. Let's just say my methods of obtaining information are a little more comprehensive than the ministries. I discovered some things that could fill in some gaps for you, although I feel that the muggles memories will eventually do that as well." Malfoy walked as he spoke and lowered himself into an arm chair, crossing one ankle over the other leg as he spoke.

"You mean illegal methods." Ron's accusation was more of a statement than a question.

"Methods Weasley, that the ministry would shy away from using. Plus, my informants are much more pliable than yours I imagine". Malfoy drawled with a slight smirk.

"What did you find Malfoy?" Ordinarily, Hermione would have doggedly pursued the question of what Malfoy's 'methods' were but today, she was driven by two things only; one was her desire to solve the case and the other was her desire to fall in to bed and sleep. Her irritation was also climbing steadily the longer it took for her to fulfil either of those desires.

Malfoy leaned forward at that and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

"I've been doing some digging into Pandora Aesalon and her evil creations. You were right by the way" he nodded towards her, "she did invent the crutiatus, apparently she used it to keep her minions in line".

"Minions?" Harry asked.

"Yes. This was the part I discovered that was not in Grangers research". Malfoy paused here leaning back again. Hermione rather suspected that he was enjoying this, having information that they did not, making them all listen to him.

"There's a tradition that some old wizarding families upheld centuries ago, to keep a written record of the major magical achievements of people in the same bloodline. This was of course at a time when wizards were just beginning to test the limits of their magical powers, so each new discovery was worth recording for posterity. As time went by this tradition died out. There were too many wizards from one bloodline to keep track of and magic that was once thought of as ground-breaking became all too common. So, the practice died out. I felt however, that the Aesalon book was worth looking into. So, I sent my team to find it". He paused here again and looked at his hands.

"So, did they find it?" Hermione asked, fighting to keep the impatience out of her voice. Merlin, he was dragging this.

"Yes, they did. In Egypt actually. Have any of you heard of an Arabic magical historian called Azzalaudin?"

Malfoy rushed on before anyone answered although Hermione had in fact heard about him and was about to say so.

"Azzalaudin travelled all over the world recording magical discoveries. He was also a bit of a kleptomaniac apparently because, a lot of these family books ended up in his possession somehow. I tracked the Aesalon book to Azzalaudin and found it in one of his vaults. Took me quite a bit of galleons to manage that" he finished quietly.

"Is this where you get to the useful stuff Malfoy? because I'm bloody starving mate" Seamus looked about as disgruntled as Hermione felt.

Entitled prick; she thought to herself. She herself had been trying to get an audience to Azzalaudin's museum of artefacts for years but kept being denied. Money will get you anything and anywhere apparently, she gnawed irritably at her fingernails.

"Well" Malfoy glared at Seamus, grey eyes flashing. "There's entire chapters on Falcon and how he managed to turn himself into an Animagus. The bit about Pandora was towards the end and some of the pages were missing and I feel that it was probably written by someone outside the family. Like a scribe maybe. But this is what I found; apparently, she was quite the evil lady even before she married Falcon. It says she experimented a lot with dark magic, eventually creating and perfecting the crutiatus as I said. Although many people were afraid of her, she had managed to gather a small following of people who did her bidding. Now, her bidding was mostly gathering material for her greatest invention, but the book does not say what this invention is, just that everyone was afraid of it".

Hermione grunted. How was this helpful?

"Her followers were called The Masters, I don't know what that name would mean but I suspect they were like the Death Eaters. The book doesn't really describe them much except to say that their main purpose was to secure raw material, protect Pandora and find suitable offerings. Although what those offerings are I cannot say".

The hall was silent for a few moments.

"This is my assessment. If someone found out about this hypothetical box or device or whatever, maybe they're looking for it and maybe there's a team of people murdering muggles for information about it. The wizarding world never really paid much attention to these sorts of rumours; not many wizards go looking for ancient dark artefacts that are only rumoured to be true. But if a group of wizards did find out about a powerful dark artefact and decided that they wanted to use it, then muggle research may have been their best bet. I'm assuming here that some of the muggle research is accurate".

Malfoy continued. "My men have been following the muggle whose memory you took, since the day of the council meeting. They knew that he was being watched, most probably by wizards. Also, they discovered that the woman who was murdered, the sister; when she died she was writing a paper on possible interpretations of Pandora's box, what the box could really be. It might be why she was murdered.".

"Wait a minute. How did they know what she was working on? Such a paper has not been published. I checked all her publications". Hermione cocked her head again and narrowed her eyes at Malfoy.

Malfoy shrugged. "The paper was on an electronic device that muggles use, a computer?" He paused unsure of himself.

"I have a guy who knows how to look into one of those" he finished still a little uncertain.

"You hacked into her computer?" Hermione's voice fell low. "Malfoy that's illegal".

He stared at her for several minutes as if he was trying to figure out what her problem was. His eyes narrowed slightly before he turned back to Harry.

Before he could get his words out however, Ron interrupted.

"If you knew he was being followed by wizards, why the hell didn't you tell us?"

"When Nott told me that two of you were going after the muggle, I thought I should warn you about the wizards who were following him. I hardly had any time before that. Nott's owl came to me late however and when I flooed here, there was no one. So, I went to Nice. Good thing too apparently". He gave Hermione another strange look.

"Why didn't you attack?" He asked her.

"My job was to protect Ernie and the muggle until the extraction was complete. We hadn't planned on being attacked anyway. If I had joined the fight, Ernie would have been exposed". Hermione's eyes bore holes through Malfoy's skill. She was truly irritated now. Who the hell did he think he was questioning her actions?

Malfoy shrugged.

"So, you think someone's trying to find Pandora's box?" Nott spoke up.

"Not just someone, a group of someone's" Malfoy replied.

"The Masters"? Ron asked with a little snort.

"It's quite probable actually" Tracey Davies spoke up from the near the door, where she had been leaning. "Wizards are known for their theatrics. I mean look at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The Dark Marks, the Death Eaters, we're all about the pomp and ceremony. There's probably a group of misguided ancient history freaks somewhere calling themselves the Masters and trying to find this box".

I like this girl. Hermione thought to herself. Plus, she agreed about the whole pomp and ceremony business. Wizards could be ridiculous like that sometimes.

Harry stood up again, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ok, so we got some information. Let's look at the pensieve and then decide what we're going to do next. In the meantime, I think it might be good if we can perhaps find someone with connections in Greece. Didn't you say 'mione that the American muggles paper said the location of the box was probably in Greece? Might be worth checking it out" Harry turned to look at Hermione.

"Yes". She said distractedly. How had she missed all of this? This was her area of expertise. Research was her thing. Her magnum opus. She always had all the information.

Azzalaudin.

Why didn't she think of him? He had records of almost all ancient magical beings. She hadn't even thought of going to his museum for this case.

"I can do that" Malfoy said getting up as well. "The Greengrasses have family in Greece. I'll ask Astoria for an address and introductions".

"Astoria? Wasn't she a few years behind us at Hogwarts?" Ron asked narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, she was". Blaise said from his place near the floo.

"Will she help us?" Ron asked again.

Blaise shrugged. "She'll help Malfoy, she's his fiancé."

A few heads snapped up at that. Hermione realised that none of the others gathered there were engaged or even in serious relationships except for Harry. The thought of one of them being engaged to be married was certainly strange.

"You're engaged to Astoria Greengrass? Merlin Malfoy, why?" It was Seamus this time. He continued, "I had to sit next to her at some fundraiser for St. Mungo's once and bloody hell she was a nightmare".

Malfoy's back had stiffened slightly but he made no reply.

"Remember her Mandy?" Seamus was still talking. "She was wearing some green gown like thing with her hair piled up on her head. She couldn't stop talking mate. She criticised almost every single person there. She had something bad to say about everything". Seamus shook his head at the memory.

"Yeah I remember her. She was pretty annoying. But she can't be all that bad if he's marrying her." Mandy nodded her head towards Malfoy.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Astoria comes from an extremely respectable family and she is my fiancé. I would request that you stop speaking ill of her" Malfoy bit out, his voice low, back still turned.

"She's from a pureblood family you mean" Seamus chuckled out. "Same old Malfoy" he said in a much quieter voice shaking his head.

Hermione thought that Malfoy would not have even heard that last part, Seamus had been so quiet, but apparently, he had.

"Yes, Finnegan I am the same old Malfoy and I am marrying into one of the oldest pure-blooded families in Britain and happily so. Don't stand there and act all shocked as if there was ever a chance I would marry from a lesser kind of family. Can we end this pointless discussion now?" Malfoy turned around finally.

"You're only marrying her because she's a pure blood?" Seamus was on a role tonight.

Malfoy merely stared back in response.

"Bloody hell" Seamus breathed out.

In his defence, Hermione knew that Seamus was truly curious about the situation and not purposely trying to be insulting or provoking although, at the moment Malfoy's eyes had turned into grey daggers and if looks could kill, Seamus would be dead.

"Preserving the purity of your line Malfoy?" The conversation had become so tense that Hermione hadn't even seen Ernie sidle in through the door, a mug of something in his hand.

"And what do you mean a lesser kind of family?" The words were out of her mouth as soon as it had registered in her mind what exactly he had said.

In hindsight, she would attribute the entire mess that followed her words, to her fatigue induced irritation. At the moment however, she was truly miffed.

"Merlin's balls" Malfoy gritted. "Can we please stop talking about my marital plans and do something productive? Don't you have a pensieve to fall into?"

"Actually no. What did you mean by lesser family Malfoy?" Hermione narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

Malfoy sighed.

"I didn't mean anything. All I meant was that as the only remaining Malfoy heir, it is my duty to marry someone of a suitable family to mine".

Hermione noticed that his eyes darted around the room as he spoke, presumably noting that everyone gathered there, with the possible exception of Nott, Davies and Zabini were most probably not very friendly towards him.

"So, suitable as in not half-blood or muggle born" Seamus said flatly.

"Yes" Malfoy replied tersely.

There was silence in the room as Malfoy's 'yes' sunk in.

"You know" Ernie began conversationally, "there is growing medical research that shows that more and more wizards are showing signs of magical anomaly because of all the inbreeding that takes place between pure bloods. In some countries there's actually a push towards having wizards marry and have kids with muggles or muggle borns to counter that" Ernie took a sip of his drink while speaking.

Malfoy scoffed.

"That's nonsense. Pure blooded wizards carry magic in its purest form. It's only strengthened through procreation with other pure bloods". Malfoy seemed to relax fractionally as the conversation had seemingly steered towards a more general direction.

Well well well. Who was a know-it-all now?

"That's absolute rubbish Malfoy. There's no evidence to support that. Besides, there so few pure-blooded wizarding families in the world now that it would be practically impossible for them to marry without marrying each other. That's not good for genetics in any form, leave aside magic".

Hermione could hear her voice becoming shrill and she didn't like it. She had spent years training herself to not give into her shrillness when she was upset or worked up. She tried to fight it down.

"Wizard genetics are not like muggle genetics Granger, even you should know that that. Our magic changes our genetic makeup from muggles. Although maybe it doesn't change much for muggle borns". Malfoy was trying hard to keep his voice level.

"There is no difference Malfoy, between the magic in a muggle borns blood and in a pure-blooded wizards blood. You know, I thought we had sorted out that confusion during the last war we had". Hermione said pouring as much sarcasm as she could into her voice.

"Of course, there's a difference Granger. Do you mean to tell me that you honestly believe that the magic built up in over centuries of pure wizarding blood amounts to the same thing as the magic in a muggle borns blood?"

"Look" he said eyes darting around again, "I'm not saying there's anything wrong or inferior about muggle born magic it's just that the magic practiced by pure blooded wizards has been honed and perfected for ages".

"If you honestly believe that then how can you explain how muggle borns even have magic"?

Hermione realised that everyone had fallen silent around them and that even Harry had pulled his head out of a file and was watching warily.

"No one can really explain how muggle borns have magic. It's like a blip in nature or- or a mutation of sorts". As soon as those words came out however, Malfoy seemed to have realised his misstep and raised his hands.

"A mutation? A blip in nature? What? Are you calling me some kind of freak?" Hermione's voice was fast reaching maximum shrillness and she saw Ron wince out of the corner of her eye, but right now she didn't care a wit.

"No. Merlin no. Granger calm yourself. Theories about how muggle borns get their magic have been floated around for years. But even you have to admit that it stands to reason that if the line of magical blood is pure, then that magic is more powerful. That magical ability is more concentrated, if you will". Malfoy sounded like he was trying to placate her with logic while also pointing out that she was an idiot.

"oh, please Malfoy, we all know I could dance circles around you with my magic" Hermione scoffed.

"Well even a monkey can be taught to do tricks" Malfoy muttered.

Hermione was out of her seat, wand in hand in an instant.

She vaguely realised that others had also risen from their seats.

"Monkey? Are you calling me a monkey ferret?" Her words were clipped, voice low. Her grip on her wand was so tight, her knuckles had drained of all blood.

"You're a trained auror Granger, obviously your magical ability is high. You train, you practice. It has nothing to do with the magic in your blood. Again, all of this is theoretical. It just stands to reason that when the blood is pure, the magic is untainted, it's virtually limitless what we can do. The limits of our magical abilities haven't even been tested properly. Pure blood magic is a force of nature, with muggle borns, you never know what to expect".

Malfoy looked as if he hadn't noticed the others standing around him. He just sounded so sure of himself and the drivel he was spouting, Hermione wanted to slap the smirk right off his face.

"I can tell you what to expect. You can expect witches and wizards who are grateful for the gift of magic and are not full of themselves. You can expect ordinary magical folk who have no stupid notions of superiority. Muggle borns are not freaks Malfoy, they're magical just like you are. And they have magic just like you have. There is no difference.

Hermione was rather proud of how level her voice was. Inside she was a raging mess of anger.

"Fine. Believe what you want. But that doesn't mean you can cast judgements on whom I choose to marry and my reasons for doing so. Marriage is personal and if I wish to marry a pure-blooded witch over any other kind then that's my business".

"Fine" Hermione countered. "It just shows that you're still a prejudiced, entitled prat is all".

"Hey" Seamus cut in, with an obvious effort to cut the tension, "Astoria's a prejudiced entitled prat too, so they fit". He turned around to go.

"Better prejudiced and entitled than a mud – muggle born" Malfoy muttered.

Hermione's shoulder twitched.

She knew he had meant it to be quiet, but everyone had heard his misstep on the word.

"Hermione…" Harry said warningly.

"At least I'm not a fucking Death Eater" Hermione said with barely controlled rage.

"And at least I'm not a bleeding mudblood" Malfoy threw out.

Hermione saw red.

She barely knew what she did next. Everything was covered in a hazy fog of anger. She just knew she had to get at him, make him pay, make him eat his words somehow.

She vaguely remembered storming towards the blond head.

Gradually, sounds of shouting came to her through the fog.

When the fog dissipated, she saw that she was standing oh so close to Malfoy, her wand pushed into the lower right-hand side of his jaw. Malfoy's face was twisted away from her at a painful angle, pushing away from the heat emanating from the end of her wand.

As she came more to, she realised that a wand was also pushing into her left side. With a start she realised that Malfoy was holding his wand at her from below her elbow.

Grey eyes were staring down at her with pure undiluted anger which she was sure was mirrored in her own.

"Malfoy. Put the wand down. Now" Harry's voice came from behind Malfoy.

Harry had his wand trained at the back of Malfoy's head as he spoke.

For the first time, Hermione realised that with the exception of Nott, Davies and Blaise, everyone else had their wands trained at Malfoy.

Those three had their wands out but hanging down by their sides.

"Put the wand down and step back" Harry's voice was calm but there was so much authority in it that Malfoy instinctively backed up, dropping his wand from Hermione's side.

"Hermione…" Harry's eyes moved from the back of Malfoy's head to meet hers.

She took one step back, spun around and stalked out.


	11. Chapter Eleven

A massive thank you to all the readers and the kind souls who left reviews and comments. I'm so sorry I can't answer you all personally, but I hardly have time enough to write as it is. I hear all of you and I hope everything pulls together as we go.

Again, I own nothing.

Hermione had stalked all the way to her bedroom, trying valiantly as she walked, to steady her breath.

Once there, she had fallen into bed and huddled under the covers.

She rather thought she got what she deserved, for pushing Malfoy that way. It just confirmed the looming suspicion she had since the day she had discovered that he would be necessary to solve the case. She had just known, even then, in her heart that Malfoy would not have changed. Its not that she really cared about what he felt particularly. It was just that his attitudes seemed to belie everything she and her friends had fought for. She couldn't care less whom he married or what his private thoughts were, but she did care that a member of her team on a case felt that her magic was not powerful. Or worthy.

She sighed and turned to the side.

In a few minutes, she heard the slight creak of her door opening and seconds later a weight dented the bed near her knees.

Ron.

"Came to see if I was alright?" Hermione asked him, still turned to the side.

"No" Ron scoffed. "I'm just checking if your bedroom is bigger than mine".

Hermione smiled in the dark.

One thing she was appreciating during this case, was the relative comfort in which they were all staying. The Whitford Manor was beautiful and quite accommodating. She couldn't remember a case that she worked on, in fact, where she ended the night with a five-course meal and a hot bubble bath. Plus, they weren't all squished into one bedroom or a tent on this one.

A few minutes passed in silence.

"I shouldn't have lost it". She said quietly.

Ron sighed and leaned back on the bed so that he was propped up on one elbow looking at her.

"Hermione, everyone, including Malfoy's own friends thought he was way out of line. You were completely justified in losing it".

"He really hasn't changed, has he?" She asked again, not really certain why she cared so much.

"He has 'mione, just not all the way". Ron said.

At that Hermione turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

"What's that mean?"

Ron dropped his elbow and lay all the way back, his head nudging away her knees.

"Families like Malfoy's are different to ours. He's been fed that rubbish ever since he was born. And he was definitely surrounded by people who thought the exact same way. Pure bloods like Malfoy; they live in their own little world, a little bubble almost. They don't even associate outside their own kind unless they're forced to. Malfoy probably only _saw_ a muggle born or a half blood when he came to Hogwarts. It's not easy to just give all of that brain conditioning up".

"But the war …" Hermione began.

"They lost the war. Just because you lose a war, doesn't mean everything you believed during it, goes away". Ron let out with a breath.

They were silent for a few minutes.

"You know I've worked with pure bloods before. Millicent Bulstrode, Flint. None of them have said anything like this" Hermione knew she sounded plaintive, but she just had to unravel the mess in her head.

"Have you asked them? Directly? Point blank, like you just asked Malfoy?" Ron asked the ceiling.

"No, I guess not".

She continued. "He just seemed so different during the past few days. Intelligent, mature even."

"Well, I guess he is" Ron said. "Look, I've worked with Malfoy over the past three years or so. And I've seen him work with all sorts of people; muggle borns, half-bloods, even muggles. He's always been respectful, and he did his job. Heck, we even went on a mission once to rescue a muggle village. He didn't hesitate a bit 'mione. He went all in."

"But you heard what he said" She went on.

"See that's what I meant. He has changed in a way. He's gathered all this information, he's finding us places to stay. And until just now, he hasn't insulted you in any way. He'll work with you and have your back, he just won't marry you I suppose".

Hermione scoffed.

"Because my magic is not strong" she muttered.

"Actually, I'm sure in the rational part of his brain, he knows that you're more powerful than ten pure-blooded witches combined. He's just not going to let that piece of information trickle into this rest of his brain". Ron chuckled.

"He doesn't know what muggle borns are like. I'm sure he doesn't hang out with any during his off-work hours. He has no muggle friend's, so I guess he's just sticking to what he knows. The pure blood wizarding world is strange. It's rigid and pompous. And he was brought up in that". Ron continued.

Hermione sighed loudly. "I still don't understand" She said shaking her head in the dark.

Suddenly, Ron pushed himself back onto his elbow and looked at her.

"Okay, it's like this; you know how your parents are dentists and you've been taught that you need to brush your teeth twice a day with a toothbrush?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Yes – so?" Hermione asked slowly.

"But when you became a witch, you found out that there's a cleaning spell that we use to clean our teeth. I've never used a toothbrush". Ron looked at her expectantly.

"Okay that's a little icky for me but I still don't know where you're going". Hermione looked down at him.

"Well even though you know the spell and you know that the spell cleans just as well as the brush, you still brush your teeth. Why do you do that?" Ron asked.

"Well, I've just always done it. It seems wrong to not brush my teeth somehow". She said considering the topic at hand.

"That's it. That's Malfoy's problem. He knows muggle borns have the same magic, but he still won't marry one" Ron finished triumphantly.

"What?" Hermione propped herself up on her own elbows to stare at Ron.

"That's a shite analogy mate" A voice came from the door.

Hermione and Ron both looked over to see Harry standing at the door.

Harry closed the door and walked over the bed, shuffling a bit in the dark, and plopped down next to Ron.

"Are you honestly comparing Astoria Greengrass to Hermione's teeth?" Harry asked with a chuckle.

"Hey! It makes sense when you think about it" Ron shoved Harry's shoulder.

Harry rotated his neck as if it hurt him and then lay down next to Hermione, nudging her to the wall.

The trio were silent for a while.

Despite her earlier anger, Hermione felt herself relax next to her two best friends. She smiled wryly as she remembered the last time they were holed up together on a mission; the forest of Dean.

"This is what you've been stressed about isn't it? Since the day you realised we might need Malfoy's help". Harry said quietly.

Hermione didn't answer.

"It's a just a word 'mione. It only has power if you give it power. You yourself said that". Harry said staring up at the ceiling, his voice soft.

Still, Hermione was silent.

Mudblood.

Yes, it was just a word. A word carved into the skin of her forearm.

For years after the war, Hermione had looked for ways to remove the word; potions, spells, charms, salves.

As a last resort, she had even gone to the wizard tattooist who had given her her phoenix tattoo, and asked for a full sleeve of magical tattoos to cover her forearm. He had waved his wand over the scar and muttered incantations for over an hour. It was impossible. No matter what ink he used, or what magic he imbibed in the ink, the word stood out.

It was a cursed blade. The scar would remain forever.

So, Hermione had given up and resolved to just wear long sleeves for the rest of her life.

She hated it. She hated the way it made her feel. Inferior, dirty, unworthy.

She hated people looking at it. The look they gave her immediately afterwards. Pity. Disgust.

She remembered every second of how she got it. The way Bellatrix had laughed maniacally as she hacked into Hermione's skin.

The pain.

Mudblood.

The word stood out. Ugly, uneven letters. Mocking her every day, every time she saw it.

Bellatrix had known exactly what she was doing when she had carved letter after painstaking letter.

And he had watched.


	12. Chapter Twelve

When I started writing this fic, I had decided that it was only going to be from Hermione's POV, but I think there's some stuff we need to see from Malfoy's POV too. Hope you enjoy!

I own nothing.

How dare she?

After all I did. I saved her not two hours ago and she jumps down my throat.

Draco Malfoy was striding down the long narrow pathway that lead to the Malfoy's summer home, just outside of France. He had apparated out of the Whitford Manor's lawn not too long ago, ignoring Theo who had called for him to stop.

He didn't need to listen to Nott. Or Potter.

They didn't know him. SHE didn't know him. They had no right to pass judgment on Astoria or on his engagement. He didn't owe them any explanations.

Maybe he shouldn't have called her a Mudblood.

Yes. That was taking it too far.

But then, she shouldn't have called him a Death Eater.

During his years as a defence consultant, and then during the past three years where he had been working with the ministry, Draco had tried his level best to avoid working directly with the Golden Trio. He didn't dislike them particularly, but they brought back memories he would rather forget. Memories of fiendfyre and the room of requirement. Memories of the astrology tower. The hall at Malfoy Manor.

No.

He wouldn't think of that now. He wouldn't think of the argument at all. He would speak to Astoria about the introductions to Greece and go to sleep.

This case was unlike anything Draco had worked on before, so he was excited and driven by curiosity. He rather liked complicated mysteries and adrenaline fuelled missions. He was quite enjoying himself, despite the presence of the Trio until this mess.

Why couldn't she just let it go? Why should it matter to her whom he married or why?

His thoughts had taken Draco to the study at the Malfoy summer home; a sturdy little cottage with a copse surrounding it. He was now sitting at his desk, a tumbler of firewhiskey in his hand, calming himself before flooing the Greengrasses.

All of a sudden, Draco heard the floo in the main hallway come to life. Minutes later, Theo walked into the study.

"You could have waited for me" he started accusingly.

With a grunt, Draco realised that he had opened his floo to Whitford Manor last night in case he needed to get there. He was now sorely regretting it.

"What do you want Theo?" Draco knew he should be angry, but he suddenly felt more drained than mad.

Theo was silent for a few minutes, staring out a window with his back turned.

"You shouldn't have called her that Draco" He said quietly.

Draco sighed. "Yes. I know. I realise that now. Call it the heat of the moment" he grumbled.

Theo turned around and considered Draco for a few minutes.

"What got into you? I haven't heard you speak like that in ages" he asked curiously.

"It was their fault. Why should they care about me and Astoria? Its _my_ marriage for Merlin's sake". Draco got up as he spoke and came around to lean on the desk in front of Theo.

"I don't think it was the marriage that set them off" Theo gave Draco a wry smile and moved to sit in a large armchair.

"Well what did you expect me to say? I'm sorry Granger, I didn't find a muggle born witch to fall in love with?" Draco threw himself into another armchair and stared at his firewhiskey glumly.

"It's not that. It's the whole 'pure blood magic is stronger' line that you pulled". Theo said looking at Draco closely.

"Well it's true isn't it? Magic that has been passed down through centuries of pure blood has to be stronger than muggle born blood. I don't know how else to frame it". Draco threw his hands up at the last words.

"Yes, fine but you said this to Hermione Granger. She's one of the most powerful witches in Britain". Theo leaned his head back on the chair.

Draco scoffed.

"Yes, yes I know. Brightest witch of our age and all that…" he trailed off.

"She _was_ the brightest witch of our age. Now, she's more than just bright Draco. Honestly, don't you read the Prophet?" Theo asked, not a little exasperatedly.

"I stay away from it as much as possible. They're entirely too keen to write nonsense about me and mother". Draco said summoning another tumbler and the decanter of firewhiskey to pour Theo a drink.

"Well, if you had pulled your head out of the sand, you would know that Granger has made headlines for much more than just being bright. She's one of the best aurors in the world I reckon; her magic is supposed to be neigh on unstoppable" Theo said as he leaned forward.

"You honestly believe that Theo?" Draco looked at his friend over the rim of his glass.

"Yes, I do. I've no reason not to".

Theo sighed.

"Look, you can't blame her for getting mad at you for calling her that word or about you claiming that purebloods have stronger magic. In her case, it's just not true". Theo leaned back.

"Even if that's true, she's probably just an exception to the rule" Draco countered.

"Either way", he continued, "I really don't give a damn about her blood status or what she's capable of. I'm just here to do my job and go home".

The two friends were silent for a few minutes, drinking thoughtfully.

"Does it bother you that much?" Theo asked cautiously.

"What?" Draco's voice was gruff.

"Being called a Death Eater".

"No".

But Draco was lying.

It did bother him. It bothered him to no end.

During the turmoil that was his sixth year at Hogwarts, Draco had taken the mark willingly. He earnestly believed that the Dark Lord was building a better world for wizards. Pure Blooded wizards.

He realised all too late that this world, being brought to fruition through blood shed and misery caused by Death Eaters was not worth losing his soul over. Because, lose his soul he did.

The mark still marred his left forearm.

It was a cursed branding that could not be removed. The mark that branded him a villain.

He wished sometimes that he could say he was forced into taking the mark, that he did it for some noble cause. But he could not.

He took it knowing full well what it entailed.

Heck, he had even been proud of it.

Until he wasn't.

So, it did bother him.

What did she know? 'Know-it-all' Granger in her perfect little world where she and her friends were mighty heroes. She didn't know. She had no fucking clue what it felt like.

She shouldn't have called him a Death Eater.

Draco shook himself to rid the dark thoughts from his mind. He placed his glass down and got up from his seat.

"I'm off to bed" he said without a backward glance at Theo.

He was almost at the door when the silvery wisp of a Raven Patronus came gliding in through the window. It spoke to them in Tracey's voice.

"Whitford Manor under attack. Come immediately".


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Thank you all for your reviews!

I own nothing

Draco Malfoy may have been a rather passive follower in another life but in this one, he was a fighter.

Even before Tracey's raven Patronus had dissolved into nothingness, he had begun sprinting out of the Malfoy's summer cottage and down the lane to the apparition point, Theodore Nott at his heels. The floo would have been quicker but he would rather lose a few precious seconds running rather than tumble into the middle of a fight.

He had begun running into Whitford manner as soon as his feet hit the floor at the point of apparition, a little way down the drive.

How had the attackers breached the wards?

 _Were_ there wards?

Thoughts ran after themselves in Draco's brain as he neared the entrance.

From inside the Manor, he could hear shouts and the tell-tale 'whoosh' of spells flying out of wands accompanied by sudden flashes of red, blue and white lights.

He noted with some satisfaction that there didn't appear to be any green flashes.

As he neared the entrance, he slowed and drew his wand, steadying himself mentally and physically before he began an attack. He could feel Theo mirroring his movements and covering his flank.

Draco entered the drawing room first.

As soon as he entered, he noted four wizards in black robes with their hoods up covering their faces, duelling fiercely with Potter, Seamus and Mandy Brocklehurst. Mandy appeared to have a broken arm which hung limply by her side while she struggled to manoeuvre her wand with the other. Draco threw a jinx at her attacker while also keeping an eye on Potter.

Seamus was backed to the wall on the far side of the room and Draco felt rather than saw, Theo edge behind him to aim a spell at Finnegan's attacker.

Draco threw rapid stunning spells, one after the other, keeping Mandy and Potter in front of him for cover.

The battle raged on for agonizingly long moments and after a while Draco noted that the attackers were exceptionally skilled with their wands.

Finally an attacker was hit but as soon as he fell, the others apparated out so fast, Draco didn't even have time to slow the spells coming out of his wand.

"What …" He began before Potter silenced him with a look.

As he watched, black cloaked wizards apparated in and out in rapid succession. Before he could catch his breath, the one who was stunned had been picked up and apparated out.

The five of them were left standing in the drawing room.

Mandy fell to her knees almost immediately. Seamus ran to her side.

"They've been doing that since they began attacking. They appear and attack and then apparate out. they keep apparating so that we can't attack'. Potter muttered in a low undertone.

Suddenly, a shout tore through the Manor. Tracey.

"Second Floor" Potter yelled as he ran towards the staircase at the back, Nott following closely behind.

Running through the hallway, Draco was distracted by the yelling coming from the study located behind the staircase towards the back of the house.

"Ron's in there. Malfoy, go!" Potter shouted down to him from halfway up the stairs.

Draco hesitated slightly before moving in, trying to gauge how many people were in the study before he entered.

Blaise was on the floor just inside the door. Body bind curse from what Draco could tell at first glance.

Weasley was cowering behind a large desk to the side, throwing hexes at two hooded wizards. His arm appeared to be covered in blood.

Draco threw himself to the side, throwing a stunning spell at one of them, narrowly missing his mark.

As soon as they realised that reinforcements had arrived however, the two wizards apparated out.

Did Whitford honestly not have anti-apparition wards set up? Draco fumed.

"Malfoy…" Draco looked up to see Weasley sitting on the floor clutching his upper arm. He panted out the next words, wheezing heavily from pain and fatigue.

"They're looking … Ernie .. out back… Hermione … back door".

Draco was on his feet before the last words were out of Weasley's mouth.

He barrelled through the house and out the back door. The sight that greeted him as he burst out, was one of the strangest he'd seen in his entire life.

Hermione Granger was standing a few feet away from the back door, clad in her muggle clothes, bushy hair loose, wild curls hanging down her back. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground, back rigid.

One hand was stretched out towards the right where Ernie McMillan was suspended about seven feet off the ground.

Her wand was in her left hand; spells streaming out from it in an almost continuous line as she duelled three wizards on broomsticks, all aiming spells at her.

Her wand hand ducked and weaved, blocking and attacking in the smoothest wand work Draco had ever seen.

A particularly potent Stupefy hit close to where he was standing, finally breaking his awe induced stupor.

He sent a well-aimed stunning spell at one attacker while dodging to the left.

Before he could check however, whether or not his spell had hit its mark, one of Granger's spells hit a wizard on a broom and he began to fall.

Granger aimed her wand at the falling wizard in an apparent levitating charm, while the other two apparated out, seemingly at the sight of Draco.

Granger finally looked towards McMillan, her right hand slowly coming down as the suspended healer also came to ground in tandem.

As soon as he was on the ground, Granger walked towards the fallen attacker, spells shooting out of her wand.

Behind him, Potter came running out followed by Weasley, who immediately ran to McMillan.

Granger was now standing over the attacker, head cocked to the right waving her wand.

"What's she doing?" Draco asked the green eyed auror now leaning on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath.

"She's putting up individual anti-apparition wards around the wizard" Potter panted. "I should go ward the grounds".

"You can do that?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"She can. She invented the spells. Or modified them actually". Potter breathed out, beginning to walk towards the perimeter of the grounds.

Draco followed him, putting up his own wards for added protection. As he and Potter worked, he could feel traces of magic that showed that someone was trying to breach them even as they worked.

"Whiteford didn't have any wards?" Draco asked although he already guessed at the answer. Whiteford was a metal trader, not an auror; he didn't need specialized wards. From what Draco knew, Whitford lived an extremely quiet, although opulent, life.

"Just the basic anti-theft, anti-intruder ones. Easily penetrable". Potter replied, still breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"Don't know exactly. They came in on brooms but then attacked in spots, doing their weird apparating thing. They were obviously looking for Ernie. They were going to take him on a broom but 'mione caught them". Harry replied.

Draco spared a backward glance. Granger was now standing over Weasley, healing the cut on his arm.

Potter walked over to the wizard lying stunned on the ground while Draco was finishing putting up his own specialised wards. Draco noticed that there was a deep cut across the side of Potter's face as he watched Granger come over to stand by her best friend.

They seemed to be conversing silently.

As Draco moved closer, Granger pointed her wand at Potter, healing the cut on his cheek.

"What are we going to do about him?" Draco gestured towards the fallen wizard.

"Her" Granger said quietly, scrutinizing Potter for more injuries.

"What?" Draco asked.

"It's a her. The attacker. It's a witch" Granger said without taking her eyes off Potter's face and the cut she was healing.

Draco took a closer look and started with shock.

It was a witch. The reason he had mistook was because this witch was completely bald.

Perhaps this was their branding? Like the Dark Mark?

"They were all bald from what we could tell" Potter said, reading Draco's thoughts.

Draco paused, replaying the events of the past hour in his head.

"Why was McMillan floating in the air?" he asked, although he suspected he knew the answer.

Granger finally looked away from Potter and at him. She considered him blankly for a minute before answering. "I was levitating him so that he didn't come crashing to the ground. He fell from quite a height from that broom when I hit the kidnapper". She shrugged. "I couldn't trust myself to bring him down safely enough. It was easier to maintain the spell until I had the rest of it under control".

"You were levitating him? With wandless magic? While you duelled with your wand?" Draco fought to keep the scepticism out of his voice.

Granger's eyes narrowed. She glanced at Potter once more before turning and walking away without answering him.

"Honestly Malfoy" Potter breathed. He then began to rummage in his pocket.

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw Granger and Weasley help McMillan up and into the house.

Draco was at a loss for words. Apparently, there was _some_ truth to what Theo was saying.

Potter triumphantly pulled something out of his pocket. He walked to the prisoner, forced her hand open and slapped an old looking key into it. In a few seconds, the witch had vanished.

"Where did you send her?" Draco asked.

"One of the interrogation rooms at the ministry" Potter answered. "They're well protected. Only about ten of us have access to them. Looks like we'll have to do some questioning".

"Let's go" Potter continued starting back into the Manor.

Halfway to the back door, Theo walked out.

"Minister Shaklebolt wants to talk to you Potter. He's in the floo in the study".

"Right". Potter answered. "How's Tracey and Whitford?"

"They're fine. Whitford has just taken a calming drought. Tracey's looking after Blaise". Theo answered.

Potter nodded and jogged inside the house ahead of them.

"Tracey was sent to guard Whitford when the attack began. They had come into the room, but Tracey had chased them away. That was the shout we heard earlier". Theo said by way of explanation.

Draco just nodded. He was still trying to wrap his head around the events of the evening.

"You alright Draco?" Theo asked, pausing on his way into the Manor.

"Sure" Draco answered, moving past him into the drawing room.

Everyone was gathered there. McMillan was lying on a couch with Granger by his side. Tracey was inspecting the cut on Weasley's arm and Seamus was nodding off on the floor, leaning on the wall.

Draco glanced over at Granger and realised that despite all the magic she would have been expending, she had barely broken a sweat. Her hair was now piled on top of her head with her wand sticking into it, keeping it in place. She was speaking quietly to McMillan.

"How did they know where we were?" Draco asked the room.

"No idea" Weasley answered.

"It's possible they got to Montserrat after we left. Something in a fragment of his memory at least may have lead them here" Granger said, directing herself to Weasley.

"That's quite possible actually" Ernie stirred and spoke groggily. "When we use legilimency, chances are quite high that the casters memories seep into the others mind. I may have had fragments of the Manor in my head".

"That is unfortunately what must have happened" Potter had appeared, standing just inside the door.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as if gathering himself.

"We've been called back. Shaklebolt wants us in the ministry by 8am tomorrow".

Potter looked around. His eyes settled on Granger apologetically.

"It's the muggle. He's dead".


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Thank you all!

I still own nothing.

Hermione Granger strode through the long hallway of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the ministry, with her head down, lost in thought.

The death of Robin Montserrat weighed heavily on her, as all muggle deaths due to wizarding politics did. The magical world was often chaotic as one would expect from a society whose magical inhabitants often engaged in power struggle. But when they used muggles as pawns in their little games, it bothered Hermione to no end. All in all, muggles were ignorant of the wizarding world and thus posed little to no threat. She found it a hard pill to swallow when muggles had to bear the consequences of the actions of wizards. Muggles like Montserrat.

Muggles like her parents.

Hermione sighed.

It was going to be a long and difficult day.

Harry had already been into briefing with Robbards, Shaklebolt and Malfoy. The minister had been absolutely livid that they had gone over the French ministry's head and obtained the memory. Even more incensed that they had left the muggle, a French citizen, unprotected, even after realising that unknown wizards were following him.

Hermione winced slightly as she remembered that particular misstep.

They had been so obsessed with obtaining the memory and cracking the case that they had overlooked the safety of a muggle civilian.

His death really was on their heads.

After a thorough berating, Shaklebolt had released Harry to examine the memory in a pensieve, which was where Hermione was headed now. She, Harry and Blaise were tasked with analysing the muggles memory while Ron, Seamus and Tracey were in interrogation with the prisoner. After this, they were all to meet up to decide on further steps.

Hermione was sure, Shaklebolt would issue some form of punishment on them after the case, for disregarding the rules but for now, they were full steam ahead in catching the killers.

And where was Malfoy?

After the briefing with the minister, Harry, Robbards and Malfoy had filed out of the minister's office. Harry had given instructions to the team who were waiting for him and then followed Robbards for further instructions. Hermione had headed off immediately to the room with the pensieve, and out of the corner of her eye, she had seen Malfoy walk off towards the floo.

Hermione had noted last evening, that Malfoy seemed completely nonplussed with her wandless magic. She snorted to herself softly as she remembered the look on his face when he had realised that she had been levitating Ernie wandlessly.

Wandless magic had not come easy to Hermione, which was the reason she had decided to perfect it. She took it as a challenge that only few wizards were capable of it. After ten years of practice and study, she could perform basic spells and charms almost completely without her wand. Although in a duel she would be utterly useless without her wand, she could perform simple levitating charms, and even a basic Protego with just her hand outstretched.

Hermione realised that although she should be mad at Malfoy for being so surprised at what she could do, she had decided that she would view Malfoy through Ron's clumsy lens. He didn't know any muggle borns closely, so obviously he wouldn't know what they could do. Additionally, she felt better considering Malfoy an ignoramus rather than a condescending prick.

She pushed open the door to the room which had a pensieve set up and smiled warmly at Ernie and Blaise.

A few seconds later, Harry walked in looking haggard although it was barely ten in the morning.

"Alright, let's get this over with, then shall we?" He asked with no preamble.

Without a word, Hermione and Blaise sidled up to Harry as Ernie pulled the memory out of its vial and dropped it into the basin.

Ernie had warned them that the memory had been tampered with, so it was likely that not much would be clear. Still, it was one of the strangest memories that Hermione had seen.

It was as though everything they saw, was happening through a dense fog. She caught glimpses of dinner at a restaurant with two other people, whom Hermione recognised as Melanie Guerin and her husband. There was food and gesturing and laughing but the words were coming in very faint.

She could just make out Blaise on her right, leaning forward with his head turned to the side, almost as if he was trying to pick up the words more than the visuals. Considering he was the only one who could understand in full what was being said, she thought that was rather smart of him.

Suddenly the restaurant vanished and there was complete darkness. This would be where the muggle was obliviated. Patches of words, dialogues and yelling were heard through the blackness, but they could see almost nothing. At least Blaise would be able to translate later, she thought glumly.

The fog cleared. Hermione realised that she was looking very close to the ground. Above her, were the shadows of two wizards; one male and one female, she gathered from the voices she heard. They seemed to be having an argument. With a jolt, Hermione realised that this must have been after they obliviated the muggle and dumped him in an alley.

He had come to and the wizards hadn't noticed.

They continued to argue for a few more minutes before a shout was heard a little way off, at the mouth of the alley.

The arguing stopped, and Hermione heard the 'pop' of apparition telling her that the wizards had gone.

She felt a familiar pulling behind her navel and seconds later, she was standing near the pensieve again.

"Well, that was interesting" Blaise said, a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was still trying to listen.

"Did you get all of their conversation?" Harry asked.

"I understood the words, yes. It doesn't make much sense without context I suppose" He replied still almost lost in thought.

Harry sighed and dropped into a chair. He looked up at Hermione expectantly and gestured to the chair beside him. He also gestured at Ernie to stay.

"At the restaurant, from what I heard, it was all just pieces of normal conversation" Blaise began. "They were catching up, telling stories…" he trailed off.

"When the darkness descended, the shouts were from the muggles – watch out, someone's there, and then some shouting from the wizards I think – grab her, stun the other, work quickly, things like that" Blaise paused and scratched his ear.

"When the darkness lifted, there was an argument, the male one was saying we don't have to kill this one, while the female one was saying the other masters would be angry, this is not what we were told, then the male one said, we only had to take the memories of the woman and kill her. We killed her husband because he also knew about the Masters secret. Then the female said, but this muggle saw. But the male one refused to kill the muggle. Then the female said, we are so close, everything needs to be clean and organised within these two weeks so that we can have everything ready for … and then the shout" Blaise finished, throwing his hands up.

"Merlin's pants, ready for what?" Hermione shrieked.

Blaise gave an exaggerated shrug and plopped down into the chair next to her and Harry.

"Or ready for whom?" Harry said quietly rubbing his eyes. "Is that all Blaise?" he asked.

"Yes, that's all they said" Blaise said with a sigh.

"Right" Harry got up wearily. "We're to go to the conference room and meet with the team. Let's hope Ron has had more luck than us. The witch we caught must have some more information". He started for the door.

Hermione and Blaise also got to their feet.

"Harry", Hermione asked just as Harry reached the door. "Did you ask Shaklebolt if I could…" she trailed off looking at Harry pointedly.

"Yes, he said yes but we have to let Ron try first" Harry said over his shoulder. He walked out of the room and off down the hallway.

"I could do it you know" Ernie said, coming up behind Hermione and Blaise.

"Yes, I know. But I want to" Hermione replied, a determined glint in her eye.

The three of them headed to the conference room.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

I own nothing

"Tell me again, why are we not allowed to use hexes during interrogation? One of Ginny's finely aimed bat bogey hexes and she'll be spilling everything". Ron was whining to Harry as Hermione, Ernie and Blaise walked into the conference room.

"No luck?" Hermione asked as she took a seat next to Seamus with Ron on her left.

Around the table sat, Harry, Blaise, Tracey, Mandy, Stewart, Ernie, Nott and Malfoy.

"No" Ron wailed. "We tried everything, I was the calm gentle one and Tracey was the crazy one, Seamus tried playing mind games; but she just sits there. No reaction whatsoever".

"Remind me again why we can't use Veritaserum?" Blaise muttered.

Hermione turned to him "She's a foreign national, Greek I think. We can't use veritaserum on foreign wizards without a law enforcement officer from that country present to make sure there's no foul play" she explained.

"What did you guys find?" Ron asked.

"Why don't we just call someone from Greece then?" Blaise asked, simultaneous to Ron.

Hermione waited a second until Harry launched into the story of the pensieve for those who weren't there, and then turned to Blaise again.

"We already have I think, but as international politics goes, they're likely to protect their own, so they usually veto our using veritaserum. We'd have to comply to avoid an international incident and they'd just take her back to prosecute her in Greece. Our best bet is to get her to talk before the Greek official comes in" she said quietly, allowing the others to hear what Harry was saying.

She was turning back to Harry when her sight was arrested by a certain set of stormy grey eyes.

They were narrowed at the moment, and staring at her so intently, Hermione felt like Malfoy was seeing right through her.

It was like he was trying to gauge her or uncover something written on her face.

She felt quite flustered as she stared back. What was he doing?

"Hermione?" The sound of Harry calling her name brought her back to earth. She quickly turned around to face him.

"As I was saying, we haven't actually called Greece yet. Technically we can question her for about twenty-four hours before we call them. They won't be happy, but it'll buy us some time". Harry said leaning his arms on the table.

"So, the masters are real?" Tracey snorted. "See I told you, wizards are ridiculous" she said shaking her head.

With a start, Hermione remembered that Tracey was a half blood, one of the very few in Slytherin. No wonder, she thought distractedly.

"Well, what we saw in the pensieve appears to confirm that" Harry answered. "What we need to figure out now is what they're planning within the next two weeks".

"So, have we now decided that Pandora and her evil device is real?" Ron asked the table at large.

"I think that's very much a possibility now but, I still feel we should just go after the killers. We don't have actual proof of an evil device. Maybe they just believe that there's something and they're going after it in two weeks?" Nott said from his place next to Malfoy.

Malfoy now had his eyes trained on the table.

"It's possible but there's really no way to

know" Harry sighed. "I feel like we're all stumbling around in the dark" he muttered.

"Harry, I…" Hermione started.

"Yes, I think we'll have to do that now" Harry cut in looking at Hermione.

A throat cleared, and Malfoy looked up.

"I think our best shot at getting to them, lies in Greece. I feel like that's where this device may be and so that's probably where the leader is. See, the witch we caught is Greek and Pandora lived in Greece, but the ones you heard arguing in the pensieve were French. This means that whatever they are, they have people in many countries. It's possible that the killings in Egypt were done by Egyptian wizards. It means they're organised, and have numbers".

"Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're based in Greece. They could be based anywhere, but still looking for the device.It just seems likely that the device might be in Greece because Pandora was" Hermione said turning to Malfoy.

He looked at her a moment.

"But we're not looking for the device Malfoy. If it exists, then yes, we'll destroy it but, for now, our priority is in finding the killers". Hermione continued, ignoring the fact that Malfoy was once again looking at her like she had sprouted an extra head.

"But chances are, we'll run into the device, if it exists, while we're looking for the killers" Nott added.

"We need more information, there has to be a leader, a meeting point, something" Harry sighed frustrated.

"Look, we're not getting anywhere. We need to get the information that the witch has. Harry?" Hermione asked, getting impatient at the waiting and discussing.

Harry looked at her for a minute.

"Fine. Go ahead. Me and Ron will join you in a bit" he sighed.

Hermione gathered her things and stepped out of the room. Soon as she closed the door though she remembered that she had left her quill, which had been stuck in her hair, on the table. She turned back to the door but paused at the sound of raised voices coming from inside.

"No, I don't understand Potter. You say you want my help and, yet you leave me in the dark. I should have been there either in interrogation or looking in the pensieve. Not idling at home while you do all the work" Malfoy was saying.

"And what's Granger gone to do now? He asked.

"Hermione is going to the interrogation room" Harry answered.

"Why? I thought Weasley already tried" Malfoy threw back.

Harry sighed "She has an interrogation method …" he trailed off.

Someone snorted. Hermione rather thought it was Malfoy.

"Look Malfoy. Shaklebolt is not impressed with what happened in France. We disobeyed direct orders and we got a muggle killed. Additionally, we were ambushed in a civilian's house,and we only caught one of them. Shaklebolt feels that you should have done more to help" Harry sounded weary.

"Like what?" Malfoy's voice had quietened down, but Hermione could feel his anger.

"Maybe like tell us sooner that you knew the muggle was being followed? We didn't know Malfoy, that information would have made us better prepared for an attack. We don't even know why he was being followed. They could've just killed him sooner, but they didn't, it's all just a big mess" the last few words out of Harry's mouth were muffled, as if he had put his face into his hands.

"My people were watching that muggle since the day of the council meeting. I had given them strict instructions to protect him. I called them off because you and the French ministry were going to approach him. You seem to have forgotten that your plan to surreptitiously get his memory yesterday was a spur of the moment decision. I came as soon as I could and did what I could to protect your team. Yes, I did forget to put my men back on his trail but the events of last evening were rather distracting" Malfoy's voice was clipped and even.

Hermione coloured slightly, remembering the events of last evening. A flash of memory of grey eyes looking down at her in anger came to her mind.

She sighed.

"But that's just it Malfoy. You're supposed to be one of the best at this game. Did you really forget to put your security detail back on the muggle or did you just not care since we already had the memory"? Ron sounded airy, but Hermione felt the weight in his words.

"What exactly are you insinuating Weasley?" Malfoy's voice was now so low, Hermione had to strain to hear it.

"Nothing" Harry broke in. "He's insinuating nothing. Look, we need you at your best Malfoy okay. No one has resources like you or connections like you and we need those for this case. Hermione says we need you for this case. Regardless of whether we need you to find or control this device, you're an asset to the team. Just, stay focused".

Harry sounded very much like he was trying to defuse the situation.

At that moment, Hermione was thankful for his forbearance. She had done her best to emphasise on how important Malfoy could be to this case, in the event of the existence of an evil device and possible blood wards protecting it. Dark magic that was wrought using blood as a binding force was usually extremely unpredictable. Attempting to handle or destroy such a device without a connecting binding force could prove to be dangerous and at times, impossible.

Hermione didn't know exactly where Malfoy's allegiances lay; perhaps he thought the muggle was no longer worthy of protection as his usefulness was done or perhaps he really did forget after that horrible evening. She had no clue. But, they needed him, that much she was sure of, even for the slightest possibility that such a device existed.

Forget the quill.

Hermione turned around and headed off towards the interrogation room, clearing her mind as she walked.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

I own nothing

Draco Malfoy trudged along behind the Boy Who Lived and the Weasel.

He had, with the greatest difficulty, maintained his cool demeanour throughout the meeting but inside, he was awash with duelling emotions.

Draco had never been the good guy; the hero. Unlike the Golden Trio, he had never been taught to think of others above himself or those he cared about. Growing up, he had only known true love for his parents. They were his everything; he would have done anything to make them proud and keep them safe.

After the war, he had begun to use his magical skill in the only way he knew; as a means of self-preservation. Private defence paid well and brought respectability along with it. Draco had leaned heavily on those two factors after the death of his father and the downfall of the Malfoy name. He was good at his job and had built himself a decent reputation as a defence expert. Despite what others thought, he did his job whole-heartedly and whether he was protecting pure bloods, muggle borns or muggles meant nothing to him. He just wanted to get the job done right. And he supposed that it was this ability to view things objectively as part of his job, that helped him get to where he was today; as one of the best.

He had been distracted by bloody Granger.

When he had watched the muggle being Reneverated by Granger's silent spell, the first thought that came to him was to alert his security of the muggle's whereabouts. But the moment his feet hit the floor at Whitford, Potter had been raging at him and in the chaos of Potter's righteous indignation and Granger's prying, he had completely forgotten to do so. It was an oversight and one he sorely regretted. It was one that signalled negligence on his part.

And now they blamed him.

It was typical. Draco guessed that no amount of reputation could erase his past. To them, he was and always will be a guilty blood supremacist.

Honestly, these days he couldn't care less about those long-lost ideologies. As long as he was happy and healthy and rich, and his mother was safe and happy; he didn't give a damn about who was leading the wizarding world. He was no longer interested in persecuting muggle borns or muggles. Live and let live was his motto.

Why had she distracted him so?

Granger's magic was indeed intriguing. Draco had always had a keen interest in the power of magic; what it could do, how it could be manipulated. Of course, he had been taught that muggle borns couldn't do much with their magic, that their magic was weak. Granger had always just been a know-it-all who achieved what she did from books. From what he remembered at Hogwarts, Granger had been smart yes, but she hadn't been much of an impressive witch.

Had she?

His thoughts were disrupted when Potter waved his wand over a door and walked in.

After Draco's little outburst, Potter had invited him to come to interrogation as a sort of peace offering for Weasley's accusations.

He had gone along for the simple reason that he was burning with curiosity as to what Granger's special interrogation method was.

He walked into the room. It overlooked a small antechamber that they could look in to through a mirror. The smaller room was bare save for a small table and two chairs on either side.

On one of the chairs sat the prisoner; she made no movement, her eyes were vacant.

Sitting cross legged on the table in front of her was Hermione Granger.

"What in Merlin's name…"

Draco barely realised the words trailing out of his mouth.

Granger was sitting straight, with her wand pointed at the prisoner. Her eyes were slightly unfocussed. Her hair had tumbled out of the bun she had put it into this morning and wild curls were pointing in every direction.

"Is she…"

Again, Draco couldn't formulate his thoughts into a sentence.

"She's a legilimens. One of our best actually" Potter said quietly. The smile on his face made him look like a proud father.

Draco watched her transfixed for a few seconds. Then he shook himself and forced his mouth to ask pressing questions.

"Why didn't you say anything before? With the others? And why couldn't she have just done the memory extraction on the muggle herself? And isn't this illegal?" Questions tumbled out of Draco's mouth.

Potter chuckled but made no reply.

"Very few people know that Hermione's a legilimens. It's safer that way. Do you know the lengths that dark wizards would go to, to get rid of a truly great legilimens? It's not really something we advertise" Weasley replied.

"To answer your second question" Potter turned to him "Aurors need special authorization to perform legilimency on witnesses and it's completely forbidden for law enforcement to perform it on a muggle. We need a trained medical professional to do that. It's to ensure the mental wellbeing of the muggle and also to prevent abuse of power on our end".

"Okay". Draco took a second to gather his thoughts.

"And this is okay?" he asked at last.

Potter chuckled again and sat down on a chair he had just conjured. He waved his wand and conjured two more, settling them down on either side of him.

Draco didn't sit however, he continued to look at the strange spectacle in front of him. It wasn't so much that she appeared to be a skilled legilimens that had him dumbfounded, although that was a feat in and of itself, but rather the fact that she also appeared to be breaking about a dozen laws at this very moment.

"Actually" Weasley began again "Mione found a loophole in the law. See technically, it would be illegal for us to obtain a memory and analyse it in a pensieve, without the ratification of the Wizengamot, as in, during a trial. And we definitely can't do that without the prisoner's consent. But, the law says nothing about just going through the prisoner's memories. Which is what she's doing. See, we won't be able to see the memories, only mione gets to do that. And we won't be able to use any of this in court, if it comes to that".

"But then…" again Draco was at a loss for words.

"She's just getting information Malfoy" Potter said without looking up.

"Okay but then what about that witch? Won't she wreak havoc when she comes to?

The duo was silent for a minute before exchanging a look.

"Hermione. She's doing a weird spell thing that she invented. She's using legilimency but also shielding her presence from the prisoner's mind. That witch will have no clue. It's come in quite handy before too" Potter shrugged.

What the actual fuck.

Draco couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening. Was this really the same Granger who was at Hogwarts?

Wasn't she a stickler for the rules or something?

Draco rubbed a hand over his eyes. Surely, he was missing something?

So hard was Draco pondering his thoughts, that he barely noticed Potter get up and rush from the room muttering something about 'Ginny'.

"You're one too right?" Weasley's voice broke though Draco's reverie.

"What?" he asked.

"A legilimens. You're one too right?" Weasley asked again, looking directly at him.

"How did you know?" Draco was immediately on his guard. The number of people who knew he was a legilimens could be counted on the fingers of one hand. He wanted to keep it that way and didn't want to add fingers to the list.

"Tracey told me" Weasley answered.

Draco considered this for a moment. He would have to speak to Tracey and tell her to be more discreet in future. on the flip side though, he didn't really care that Weasley and Potter knew.

He looked back to Granger.

"She's something isn't she?" Weasley asked after a long moment of silence.

Again, Draco considered Weasley's words.

Yes, he would have to concede that she was. Nothing would make him admit to it though.

Draco shrugged.

"Since when did Granger become such an outlaw?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant and conceal the confusion he felt.

At this Weasley laughed outright.

"Well I suppose the Hermione you remember was just a bossy know-it-all who quietly abided by all the school rules. Prefect and all that. We know her a little better. Hermione's okay with bending the rules a bit to get what she needs now and then and right now we need information". Weasley crossed his arms over his chest as he said this.

Draco didn't reply but kept looking in through the glass.

"She's really gotten to you, hasn't she? Muggle born witch, struck the great Draco Malfoy speechless?" Weasley sounded incredulous.

Draco attempted a dignified snort.

"I wouldn't have expected any less from a member of the Golden Trio. And she's an auror no less. But she certainly is … skilled" Draco replied clumsily.

Weasley shook his head.

"See, the thing with Hermione is that she's spent the past few years proving arses like you wrong. You tell her that something can't be done with magic and the next thing you know, she's doing just that, probably better than anyone else. I pity the wizard who tries to cross her" Weasley scratched his ear.

Draco took a moment to take this all in. A few minutes later, Potter ambled in.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell Ginny that I'd be home today" he said sheepishly.

While Draco went through his brain trying to recall what Ginevra Weasley looked like, Potter gestured towards the antechamber.

Granger was now hopping off the table. She walked towards the door turning only slightly to point her wand at the prisoner again. By the time the bald witch's eyes snapped open, Granger had already closed the door and stepped up to her friends.

She eyed Draco for a few minutes before turning back to Potter.

"It's bad. Very bad. I couldn't understand a lot of the conversations because most of it was in Greek but at some point, this one met the group of wizards who killed the American professor in Egypt. I think they were American wizards. All bald. They said that they had the location of the amulet and that they would begin looking immediately. I think that was about two weeks ago. They also mentioned a grandmaster and how that person would be pleased. That he or she had been waiting for so long etc etc."

Granger was reeling off the things that she remembered at lightning speed. Draco was unconsciously leaning forward to catch her words.

"There's some initiation ceremony that they go through, where their heads are shaved. And they say some incantations. I couldn't understand it because it was Greek, but they said the word Pandora a few times. I think I saw the grandmaster too. But whoever it was, was cloaked. Couldn't see a face". Granger's eyes were moving from side to side as if she was pulling up memories from her own head.

"Oh! And one thing I caught from one of the American wizards. He said something about the amulet; that the ancient one had perfected it since childhood. What does that mean?" she finally stopped talking and began chewing on her bottom lip, eyes out of focus.

"The ancient one would be Pandora?" Weasley asked.

"Yes, that's the logical assumption" Granger answered distractedly.

"Wait, do you know anything about where they are? Where they re-group or headquarters or anything?" Potter sounded frustrated.

"Yes" Granger said finally, snapping out of her thoughts. "They're in Greece. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say they were in Megara. From the looks of it at least".

"Right. So, then that's where we'll go" Potter said.

"That makes sense actually" Draco finally spoke up after having processed Granger's information.

Granger looked up at him.

"In the paper written by the American historian, she had said that the device is most probably located in Megara as per her research". Draco said.

"You said that you hacked into Melanie Guerin's lap-top right?" Granger asked.

Draco shrugged.

"What had she said about what the device could do?" she asked.

Draco thought for a while. "She hadn't finished the paper. From what I read, she had surmised that the device could take away life as we know it. So, I assumed it meant that the device could kill people".

"We need to find out more about the device. Or the amulet as they kept saying" Granger said suddenly, and Draco found himself agreeing.

"She's right. If they started looking for it two week ago, they may have already found it. Going to Greece without at least having a clue as to what it can do would be dangerous" he said.

Potter let out a breath. "But we don't have time. What if they commit more murders while we're doing research on the amulet. Besides, I thought you had done research. Didn't you say Aesalon's book had nothing on the device? Is there anywhere else you can get information?"

"As far as information goes on ancient wizards, these books are the best resource. They didn't really publish histories back in those days. Aesalon's book didn't have anything on an amulet though" Draco replied.

"That's it!" Granger said suddenly. "That wizard said the ancient one perfected the amulet since childhood. Since childhood!"

Potter and Weasley looked clueless and Draco felt the same way for a few seconds until it came to him like a thunder bolt.

"I looked in Aesalon's book. But she wasn't an Aesalon. She married one. If she made a device in her childhood or early adulthood, it would be in her book" Draco said almost to himself.

"She was a Galanos. Pandora Galanos" Granger's eyes were shining as she looked at Draco.

"We need to go to Egypt" Draco replied, looking right back at her.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

I own nothing

Hermione hated social events.

She didn't want to use the word ball. She couldn't even bring herself to say the word ball without feeling the need to snort.

And yet, that is precisely the term Shaklebolt used when he ordered them to make themselves present at the ministry ball, opening in a few minutes.

It wasn't just balls she hated either. She also hated getting dressed up and putting on makeup and heels and making small talk with ministry officials who couldn't care less about what she had to say. It was even worse with foreign dignitaries who, more often than not, ogled at her, Ron and Harry as if they were showpieces. The Golden Trio, put on display.

Hermione sighed and pulled at the cuff of her dress robes.

Despite being assured by Ginny and several sales assistants that she looked gorgeous in the midnight blue dress robes that she now wore, Hermione couldn't see it. Instead she felt insecure as she always did when she was forced to dress up and look pretty.

She had always known that she would never be a great beauty. She was passable and okay with it. Any attempt to beautify herself with glamour charms only made her feel more bland and unattractive.

The robes she was wearing this evening were off the shoulder and dipped low enough at the neck to display just the hint of cleavage. They had long fitted sleeves and hugged her waist before dropping down to the floor.

She had put her hair into a relatively elegant bun with the help of her wand and applied simple makeup, if only to escape Shaklebolt's displeasure if she turned up looking like a plain Jane.

The past few hours were a complete blur.

After painstakingly explaining to Harry and Ron that she needed to read Pandora's family book and not Aesalon's one and thatPandora's family book could possibly be found at Azzalaudin'smuseum in Egypt, she, Ron, Harry and Malfoy had rushed to see the minister to get permission to portkey out.

Shaklebolt had agreed that Hermione and Malfoy go to Egypt with Tracey, and Ron while Harry take the rest of the team to Greece. He had also however, informed them that the ministry was throwing a ball that evening in honour of prominent wizarding families who had donated generously towards the completion of the new Auror training facility, and that their presence would be mandatory. They had all hemmed and hawed but Shaklebolt remained firm. Ball tonight, leave tomorrow morning.

Hermione distractedly pulled at a curl that had gotten loose from the bun at the nape of her neck.

One point of interest of the evening however, would be seeing Malfoy with his betrothed. While the Trio had been arguing against coming to the ball, Malfoy had quietly informed them that he had already received an invitation and that he and Astoria would be in attendance. Hermione didn't even remember what Astoria Greengrass looked like and she was curious to see Malfoy in the role of devoted fiancé.

With a final glance in the mirror, Hermione twirled around and strode from her bedroom.

Appearing at the ministry apparition point with a slight 'pop', Hermione walked rather unwillingly towards the ballroom, now decorated with millions of tiny lights. A crowd had already gathered around a raised podium, where Shaklebolt was apparently giving a speech.

Only half paying attention, Hermione sidled around the side of the room, scanning the area for Ron and Harry while also grabbing a flute of champagne from a hovering tray.

"Hemione!"

Hermione turned around at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Neville! I didn't know you were going to be here" Hermione rushed over to hug the towering Herbology professor.

"I wasn't going to be, but Shaklebolt wanted someone from Hogwarts to be here, and I picked the short straw" Neville shrugged.

The erstwhile Griffindor had had evolved from a shy boy to a confident young man beloved by his students. Hermione was not at all surprised that Neville had become a herbology professor. It was a subject he loved and was amazingly knowledgeable about. Wizards from other countries would often floo in to consult with the famous Professor Longbottom.

"Why would he want someone from Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, eyes still scanning the room.

"This training facility is for auror trainees who want to join straight out of Hogwarts. We're supposed to be bringing NEWT level students to tour the place soon" Neville answered.

"Do you have any idea whom we're honouring tonight?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

Neville let out a soft chuckle.

"Oh, the usual. Mostly reformed Death Eaters and other bystanders looking for a way back in. I know for a fact the Parkinson's donated. And the Malfoy's of course" Neville answered.

So that's why he was invited. Hermione knew that Malfoy donated generously to various causes. This must be one of them.

"So" Hermione began turning to Neville "What do you think of our case?"

"It's fascinating Hermione, honestly. Do you have any more information on the box or whatever it is?" Neville asked.

"Well, we have reason enough to believe that it's actually an amulet. We don't know anything else much but I'm going to Egypt tomorrow to do some research and Harry's off to Greece. Hopefully we'll know more soon" Hermione replied.

"Ah, Miss Granger. There you are. There are some people I would like you to meet" Shaklebolt's voice from behind her was accompanied by a gentle hand on her elbow.

Hermione grimaced at Neville before being lead away. She let her mind wander as Shaklebolt introduced her to numerous people from all over wizarding Britain who asked her the same inane questions. Out of the corner of her eye, she finally caughtHarry, smiling politely at an elderly couple who seemed to be telling him some fascinating story.

Hermione sighed.

She hated this so much.

She wondered what great sin she may have committed in a past life to deserve being forced into this mindless simpering.

"And of course, you know Ms. Greengrass and Mr. Malfoy". Shaklebolt's words cut through the subconscious pity party Hermione was currently throwing for herself.

Her eyes snapped back into focus as she took in the group in front of her; Mr. and Mrs. Weatherly, a couple who worked in the Magical Law Enforcement Department, Eric Goldstein, a wealthy patron of St. Mungo's, Jessica Wicker, a journalist for the Prophet, Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy.

Astoria was beautiful. It wasn't just conventional beauty either.There was an elegance in the way she held herself, head high, perfect posture, arm nestled demurely in the crook of Malfoy's elbow. She seemed to have an old-world grace and poise that was obviously the result of her pure blood upbringing. Hermione could not, for the life of her, remember this creature at Hogwarts.

Malfoy was in his usual black, impeccable dress robes, standing tall and confident, looking only slightly bored. Even Hermione could appreciate that he cut a dashing figure that evening.

"Shaklebolt was just telling us about the Robertson case. I knew his father. Sad, sad business" Mr. Weatherly was saying as Hermione was finishing her appraisal of the engaged couple.

Hermione smiled faintly and inclined her head in Mr. Weatherly's direction.

"So, what's the case you're working on now?" Eric Goldstein asked Hermione.

"Oh, just the usual. Following up on leads, this and that…" Hermione trailed off evasively.

So far, very few people in Wizarding Britain knew about the Pandora case, only about the killings. Hermione wanted to keep it that way.

"It must be so tedious, the work that you do".

Hermione turned towards Astoria. The younger Greengrass had put a slight emphasis on the word 'work' as if the very concept was beneath her and immediately Hermione found her hackles raised.

"On the contrary, its very exciting. Plus, it's gratifying knowing that we're doing a bit of good in the world" Hermione said with a bright smile that anyone who knew her would know was fake.

Other than Malfoy's slightly narrowed eyes, no one else seemed to notice however and the group chuckled while Shaklebolt threw in a "hear hear" while raising his glass.

"Is it true that there were a spat of magical homicides recently in Europe? Are you perhaps working on that case?" Jessica asked, nonchalantly talking a sip of her champagne.

Hermione instantly felt Shaklebolt tense beside her and even detected the slight tightening of Malfoy's jaw before she replied.

"Yes, there were some murders, but I believe they are being handled by European law enforcement" Hermione said, forcing the same nonchalance into her voice.

"You know, it's quite lucky that you're a muggle born. My father would probably die if I had to see things like murders" Astoria shuddered.

Hermione didn't really know how to reply to that, so she just channelled her energies into looking pleasantly interested in what Astoria was saying although she could easily detect the insult and condescension in the latter's voice.

"Well, Hermione is trained for that sort of thing. Plus, she has plenty support" Shaklebolt cut in.

"Oh, that's right. Potter and Weasley. Well, yes, that must make things easier" Astoria said dismissively, bringing her glass to her lips; her tone indicating that the discussion was over.

"I can assure you that I am more than capable of handling 'murders' by myself. I rather find that the boys slow me down sometimes" Hermione, despite her inner struggle, found that her voice had become low and icy. She was always taken over with white hot rage every time someone cast doubts on her ability to do her job.

Astoria didn't reply for a minute. She just gave Hermione a sceptical look, followed by what appeared to be a high-classsmirk.

"Perhaps… but I imagine its tiresome having to work. I've never worked a day of my life. But then again, you must be used to it" she said.

"Because I'm a muggle born?"

While Hermione felt her back stiffen and the pleasantly vague smile slide off her face, Malfoy quickly leaned in to whisper in Astoria's ear.

"I think I see Pansy" Astoria finally huffed as Malfoy pulled his head away, avoiding Hermione's gaze. Astoria turned, and pulling Malfoy along with her, stalked off.

"And I think I see Harry. Excuse me everyone" Hermione said to the others with a blank face and strode off towards Harry who looked to be trying to extricate himself from the elderly couple he was talking to.

"Harry, I'm so sorry but could I steal you for a moment?" Hermione swept in and grabbed Harry's arm.

"Yes, of course. Excuse me" Harry half bowed and strode off with Hermione towards the bar.

As they neared it, they spotted Ron, half hidden by a large sculpture of a nymph, nursing a tumbler.

"Hey. Been hiding here all night" Ron said gruffly as Hermione and Harry joined him behind the sculpture.

"Lucky you" Hermione said bitterly.

"What she say?" Ron asked indicating Astoria who was now laughing with Pansy Parkinson.

Hermione shrugged.

The rest of the evening was relatively easy now that the trio were ensconced in a secret hideout.

Hermione had kicked off her shoes and was eating a loaded plate of pasta, while laughing at one of Ron's joke's when three departmental memos came whizzing past the sculpture and stopped in front of their faces.

Hermione pulled hers over and opened it.

Five wizards in Greece found dead. No evidence of Avada Kedavra or any other magical force. Not natural causes. Meeting. Conference room five.

It had begun.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

I still own nothing.

Thankfully, Hermione landed on her feet with a somewhat graceful thump and steadied herself with a hand on Ron's arm. She winced a little bit at the thought of tumbling all over the ground while Malfoy watched.

Beside her, she heard two more thumps, indicating that Malfoy and Tracey had landed as well.

Hermione, Ron, Tracey and Malfoy had just landed in the Egyptian city of Ras Gharib a few miles away from Azzalaudin's museum.

It was pitch black, although Hermione could see the twinkle of street lights a little distance away. At 4am, the street appeared to be empty except for the occasional vehicle.

"Now what?" Ron asked, looking around at Malfoy.

"Now we wait" Malfoy said, adjusting his robes. "Someone from the museum will come to side apparate us. They don't let outsiders know the location."

"Wouldn't people just figure it out?" Hermione asked distractedly, examining their surroundings.

"Not likely. The compound is in the middle of the dessert. And they apparate you right into the middle of it. When you want to leave, they apparate you back here so you can portkey out". Malfoy looked straight ahead as he said this.

Hermione noticed that Malfoy had been avoiding talking or looking directly at her since Whitford manor. He had become even more awkward since she had met him and Astoria at the ball a few hours ago.

She sighed. And here she thought they had all become mature adults.

The death of wizards in Greece had been vexing especially since there had been no traces of magical foul play on them. All five, who worked together at a wizarding apothecary in Megara, had been discovered by a long-time customer who had walked into the apothecary early last evening and discovered the dead bodies.

They had been laid out in a line as if someone had placed them there after killing them. Three men and two women, young and in perfect health with no wounds, no blood and no Avada Kedavra curse.

The message had come to them from a British wizard working at the Greek ministry, whom Shaklebolt had alerted to keep them informed of any untoward activity.

The only logical explanation would be that the amulet had been used on them and that it could be used to kill in a way hitherto unknown to the wizarding world.

Harry and the rest of the team had left for Greece at the same time Hermione had left for Egypt. They would be leading their own investigation in Megara while Ernie joined Greek medi wizards for the magical autopsies.

Hermione's plan was to read up as much as she could on Pandora and her family and join Harry as soon as possible.

A muffled laughing sound made her look back at the group. Ron and Tracey were a little way off talking quietly and whatever Ron was saying was making Tracey laugh.

There was a soft touch on her arm and she looked back to see Malfoy nod towards her left. A man in billowing black robes was walking towards them from the direction of the road. She hadn't heard the sound of apparition.

The man walked straight up Malfoy and spoke with him quietly. Mafoy replied, indicating the other three. The man nodded once and grabbed onto Malfoy's forearm. Malfoy stretched his other arm out without looking at first and when Hermione hesitated, his arm faltered.

He looked directly up at her, silently.

Hermione felt someone brush up against her and a second later, Tracey had grabbed onto Malfoys arm, and stretched out her own, looking amusedly at Hermione.

Hermione felt her eyes narrow but couldn't do anything about the mess-up, so she took Ron's hand with one hand and Tracey's arm with the other.

She _was_ going to take Malfoy's arm, he had just unnerved her when he had looked at her so intensely.

Side-along apparition was always uncomfortable, but this time Hermione felt apprehension too because she didn't know the person who was apparating or where he was taking them.

Soon however, they arrived in the middle of what looked like a massive compound. They were standing near a large water fountain, set in the middle of a courtyard the size of a quidditch pitch. There were flowers and shrubbery and walkways and from the tiny streaks of light coming from the arising sun, Hermione could make out clusters of buildings set up all around the courtyard. It was a beautiful place and the oncoming sunrise made it even more striking.

"This way" the man said with a heavy Arabic accent, and began walking off down one of the winding pathways leading to what looked like the main building.

They walked in to an open hall, with high ceilings. There were colourful plush armchairs and divans placed in a semi-circle going all around the room. Standing in the middle of the hall was a tall Arab, wearing a white thobe, his hands clasped behind him.

"Mr. Malfoy. It is a pleasure" He said slowly, in heavily accented English.

"Fahad. Nice to see you again my friend" Malfoy replied, grasping the Arabs hand.

"This is Fahad El Mahdi" Malfoy said, turning to the group behind him. "He is Azzalaudin's direct descendent and curator of the museum".

Fahad shook Ron's hand when he was introduced and nodded amiably at the two ladies.

"It is a surprise to see you here again so soon Draco" Fahad said.

"Yes. Well I find that I need some more information on a case I'm working on" Malfoy replied.

"And your friends are here for what?" Fahad asked. His voice and face remained friendly, but Hermione rather suspected that the Arab had his own doubts.

"Time is of the essence in this one Fahad. I brought my friends so that they could help me look for this particular book. As I recall, your filing system leaves much to be desired" Malfoy replied.

At this Fahad smiled. "Ah, you must forgive me Draco. My people are not as efficient as yours. Besides, it is not every day that outsiders have use of my ancestor's findings".

Malfoy inclined his head but didn't reply.

"Fathy will show you to your quarters where you will find breakfast. Afterwards, you and your friends can use the library as you wish. But remember the rules my friend" Fahad said turning to indicate another young Arab standing near the door to a long hallway that Hermione could just glimpse.

Making a mental note to ask Malfoy what 'the rules' were, Hermione let herself be led through a maze of corridors and staircases to a suite of rooms on the third floor.

An hour later, after a lavish breakfast and a shower, Hermione was again being led by Fathy to the library.

As he opened the large oak doors, Hermione felt her eyes widen and her jaw drop. It was at least ten times bigger than the library at Hogwarts, stacked high with an immeasurable number of books, scrolls, maps and assorted paraphernalia. Hermione stood and turned on the spot.

How was she ever going to even start?

In a few minutes, Hermione realised that she was alone and that Fathy had silently left.

She walked tentatively towards one shelf.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing over there?" Malfoy's drawl broke through Hermione's concentration on a book detailing the magical properties of asphodel, a little while later.

She looked up guiltily.

"Um… I didn't know where to start. I must have gotten side-tracked…" she trailed off.

"The Mediterranean section is over here" Malfoy indicated with his head, "It's marked on the map over there" he said again indicating a little above Hermione's head.

Indeed, what she earlier mistook to be just a map turned out to be a map to the room of sorts. With markings indicating the location of where information came from.

"How long have you been here?" Hermione asked, putting the herbology book back and walking over to where Malfoy was standing.

"About two hours. I didn't find it yet" he replied.

"Oh. Well let's keep looking then" Hermione re-joined.

They searched in silence. The search was taking longer as they kept having to decipher the titles of the books from the badly written English translations on the back of each book.

They moved methodically through the shelves but by lunchtime hadn't found anything. They began again directly after lunch, with Tracey's help this time but uncovered nothing.

"Are you sure we can't ask Fahad for help? I'm sure someone knows how to find it" Hermione asked frustrated, at one point in the evening.

"We can but I've found that Azzalaudin's descendants are not the greatest bookkeepers. The artefacts in this place haven't been moved, itemized or restored for centuries. Some of these are probably in the same place Azzalaudin kept them. So, I doubt they would be much help" Malfoy brushed the dust off his hands.

They were silent for a while.

"What were Fahad's rules?" Hermione asked again, perusing yet another shelf.

"We can't make copies, can't take books out, no stealing of course and we can't tell people when we find things here. Or at least, we can't advertise it" Malfoy replied, leaning back on a shelf, arms crossed.

"But then what do we do when we find this book?" Hermione asked, pausing in the midst of opening a book.

"We go with our original plan, show it to Blaise through the floo. I don't always abide by his rules; I've definitely given him enough gold for him to ignore one or two slips" Malfoy said.

Hermione closed the book she was holding and moved away from the shelf, keeping her eyes trained on Malfoy.

"How exactly were you able to get in here anyway? I've been trying for years" she hadn't even noticed that her arms had crossed her chest, mirroring Malfoy's stance.

Malfoy shrugged, leaning his head back on the shelf behind him. "Fahad's father had once gotten himself into a compromising situation with a British ministry workers wife. In his young days of course. When he found out who Fahad's father was, my father saved him by bribing the ministry worker. Since then, the El Mahdi's have been somewhat in our debt. The families have helped each other on and off over the decades".

"Huh" Hermione huffed. Of course, Lucius would be involved in underhand skulduggery somewhere.

"I have also donated generously towards the upkeep of this compound. There is an immeasurable amount of magical knowledge in this library itself and other entire buildings filled with magical artefacts from all over the world in this compound. It really is a massive resource" Malfoy finished.

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

Malfoy cared about magical knowledge? And historical artefacts? Right.

"What Granger?" Malfoy asked, his own grey eyes narrowing.

"You care about all this?" she asked, her tone disbelieving, gesturing towards the shelves filled with crumbling books.

Malfoy looked at her for a while, his face blank.

"As much as you may like to presume to know me, I must ask that you keep your presumptions to yourself. I have spent many hours inside this library studying magic and the magical properties of all things. So, yes, I do care" Malfoy said before disappearing down an aisle.

Hermione stood stock still for a few minutes, feeling like she got the wrong hand of things.

Okay, so maybe he does care. A little bit.

She was impressed. Baffled. But impressed.

About an hour later, Tracey came to call her to go back to their rooms for dinner.

"What happens if we can't find the Galanos book?" Malfoy asked quietly as they were walking back.

"We'll look tomorrow as well. If we can't find it, we'll just have to go to Greece blind" Hermione answered just as quietly.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Draco Malfoy was in a state of frustrated restlessness.

He hated being away from any investigation or action in a case that he was involved in. The days spent looking for a book in Egypt could prove to be costly; especially if the book wasn't even here.

Pondering these thoughts, Draco wandered through the maze of hallways towards the library. A book would help distract him from his frustrations and as far as he knew, the library was kept unlocked till late night.

Despite the fact that he had barely any sleep the night before, and that he had just consumed a hearty dinner, Draco was not sleepy in the least.

A little perusing led him to a book on modifications for the _Protego_ spell. Always keen on learning about manipulating existing magic, Draco pulled the book from its shelf and walked off, looking for a place to sit.

Turning a corner, Draco detected the glow of candle light a little way ahead of him. Curious as to whom might be reading at this hour, Draco followed the light to a small clearing which contained an ancient looking lumpy couch and a bushy haired witch half reclined on top of it.

Granger had lit a few candles around her. She was clad in what Malfoy could only describe as distressed rags. She was wearing ratty pyjama bottoms that were entirely too big on her, coupled with an old Griffindor sweater that was clearly falling apart at the seams and currently held together by magic. Her hair was in a messy bun at the top of her head and she was absently twirling a lock around her finger as she read.

Draco cleared his throat subtly.

Granger's hand was halfway to her wand before she looked up. Her stance relaxed fractionally as she recognized him.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" she asked mildly.

"Same as you I suppose, looking for a book" Draco gestured towards the book in his hand.

"Oh. What have you got?" she asked straightening a little.

"A book on _Protego_ modifications. I found an English translation surprisingly" Draco replied, tracing a finger along the spine of the book.

"Oh. That's interesting…" She trailed off expectantly.

Draco sighed inwardly and leaned on a high stool that was near where he was standing.

"What did you find?" he asked.

Grangers eyes lit up as if someone had lit a candle inside in her head.

"It's the most fascinating book on memory modification. Its written by some French wizard but there are notes in English on the bottoms. Did you know, there have been experiments in planting actual memories in people's heads? This wizard believes that by using legilimency to get inside a person's head, you can actually place new memories inside. That's amazing. Not right but amazing!"

Draco watched her silently as she prattled on about ways to implant memories in people's heads. Granger was talking animatedly, her eyes glittering with excitement. She was not a beautiful woman by conventional standards. But there was a passion about her, an intelligence that was almost like a fire burning from within that Draco found quite intriguing.

He hadn't thought of Granger much, if at all after the final battle, and then he had left wizarding Britain. Even after he had returned, all news he had heard about her had been in passing word of mouth and none too reliable. He didn't even remember seeing her at ministry functions before last night.

All throughout Hogwarts, Draco had only thought of Hermione Granger as a know-it-all mudblood; he had only seen her through his father's eyes. She hadn't seemed like a person worthy of his attention or company.

Now however, he found himself quite taken by her magical power and her indubitable intelligence. All the women he had associated closely with throughout his life had been limited, for want of a better word. They were powerful yes, but more on the domestic front rather than anything else. Women like his mother or Pansy or even Astoria wholly concentrated their energies on appearances, etiquette, the running of a household, raising children. He had yet to meet a pure blood witch who was interested in the things he was; magic, quidditch, politics and that he could have a decent conversation with.

Unwittingly, he found himself wondering whether Granger would consider spending time in his company outside of the case. He felt he rather craved interesting, stimulating conversation.

"Of course, this research could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Even in the right ones. Why would you want to alter someone's memories?" Granger was still talking.

"Well, I might have a few memories I would want to lose" Draco deadpanned, effectively shutting Granger up.

She looked at him silently for a few minutes, as if deciding on what to reply to his statement.

"I'm sorry by the way" Draco said before Granger could open her mouth.

"For what?" she asked incredulously.

Draco lowered his eyes. "For what happened at Whitford. For using… that name"

"Oh" was all she said.

"I haven't said that in years and I honestly don't know why I even said it. Either way…" Draco trailed off still looking at the floor.

"It's alright" Granger said softly. "I guess I owe you an apology as well. I didn't mean to call you a Death Eater. Just slipped out" she made a helpless gesture with her hand as she spoke. Unlike Draco, she was looking directly at him.

Draco snorted quietly "Well that one is actually true so…"

There were a few moments of awkward silence.

"You were not a Death Eater Malfoy. At least not in every sense of the word" Granger said still being very soft.

"You don't know that Granger" Draco replied wryly, his fingers digging into his elbows where he had crossed his arms.

Again, they fell silent.

"So" Granger began brightly after some time. "Astoria seems nice".

Draco shook his head. This witch was insane.

"She wasn't nice to you. I should apologise for that as well I guess" Draco said a smirk pulling a side of his mouth up.

Granger giggled.

"Well, I suppose I just bring out the worst in you Slytherin's" she said.

Draco huffed and finally brought his eyes up to hers.

"She's like that when she meets witches who work for a living. She thinks proper witches shouldn't have to work. Or at least not to earn" he shrugged "it's an antiquated belief I know".

"And what do you think about witches who work?" Granger asked, a smile still playing across her lips. She placed a finger on the page she was reading and shut her book.

"I have no opinion either way I suppose" Draco replied. "But I do respect anyone who works hard, Merlin knows I've learned the value of that the hard way".

"You should discuss it with her you know. Share your views" Granger propped her head on her knee and wrapped her arms around her leg, the book she was reading still pressed into one hand.

Draco sighed.

"We don't have that kind of relationship Granger. I do recall I told you that pure blooded wizards don't 'date' as you would call it, where we talk and get to know each other and fall in love and all that nonsense. It's a marriage, like a contract made between families".

"But surely you talk about something" Granger eyes had narrowed with unconcealed curiosity.

"No, not really. We talk about appearances and dates and colour schemes for the wedding that sort of thing. We don't discuss feelings" he replied, beginning to feel slightly judged and Merlin forbid, pitied.

Granger's eyes had softened.

"That sounds like a very lonely relationship Malfoy" she said.

Draco shrugged.

They fell into silence again. But it was a slightly more amiable silence this time.

"This place truly is amazing" Granger said, her voice filled with awe.

Draco was enormously gratified that he finally found someone who appreciated the value of this museum like he did. He too was struck with awe each time he entered it.

"I could happily spend the rest of my life here you know, reading and learning" Granger continued dreamily.

Draco felt a genuine smile take over his face slowly; a rare occurrence for him.

"That sounds like a very lonely existence Granger" he said.

Granger had stopped peering around and was looking at him intensely. He realised for the first time that Granger's eyes were light brown, amber almost. But the light of the candles had softened the shade turning her irises almost iridescent.

He looked back steadily, the smile sliding off his face under her scrutiny.

"Malfoy sir" A voice said from behind him.

Draco whipped his head around, breaking his eye contact with Granger. He didn't even realise that she was still staring at him, transfixed.

"It is time for the library to be warded sir. You must leave sir" Fathy was standing a few feet away with a candle held aloft in one hand and his wand in the other.

Draco shot up from his perch on the stool, feeling Granger slowly stumble to her feet behind him. She placed the book she was reading on the top of the pile she had collected at the foot of the couch and walked up to stand beside him.

Without looking down at her, Draco placed his own book on the stool on which he was leaning and began to walk out.

They didn't speak or even look at each other until Draco had reached his bedroom. Granger's was further down.

"Goodnight Malfoy" Granger said levelly as she walked past him without pausing.

"Goodnight" he replied to the empty hallway.


	20. Chapter Twenty

"Were you really at Durmstrang?"

Hermione was perched a few rungs up on a step ladder, elbow deep in a book shelf. She was trying to reach for a small leather-bound book at the back of a deep cabinet as she asked her question.

She paused in her endeavour to glance down at the blond headed man currently kneeling on the floor, pulling a book from under the same cabinet.

Hermione was slightly worried that after last night, Malfoy would have retreated back into his silent snarky self, especially since she had made a fool of herself by staring at his smile.

When they were at Hogwarts, the Malfoy that she knew never smiled, he only smirked and that too became rarer as time went one. Ultimately, the only expression left on young Malfoy's face was one of sullen anger and distaste. The presence of a genuine smile had completely unnerved Hermione. It was as if she had forgotten that Malfoy was a real person, capable of the full range of human emotion.

That smile had humanized him.

Luckily, Malfoy was acting as if nothing had happened.

He got to his feet and brushed off his knees. "Yes, I was for about three years" he answered distractedly, examining the inside flap of the book he had pulled.

"Three years? We only missed one" Hermione asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"I did my NEWTs there, or at least what passes for NEWTs up there, but it took me two years to prepare for it, having to learn The language as well. I stayed an extra year afterwards assisting the Defensive Magic professor" Malfoy answered, still not looking at Hermione.

"Why Durmstrang?" she asked, finally grabbing a hold of the book at the back.

"My father had connections" Malfoy shrugged, finally looking up at her, "it seemed a logical choice after the trials. They were willing to take me, and I didn't want to go back to Hogwarts".

"How was it?" Hermione asked quietly, examining the book she now held in her hand.

"Well, no one knew me, which was a blessing. And they have quite a good defensive magic practice. It's where I got my start, so I can't complain". Malfoy set down the book he was holding and moved to the next cabinet.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"I don't know but there's no English label on this. It appears to be hand written. Do you think we can ask Fathy to translate?" Hermione asked. She was rapidly losing hope of ever finding the Galanos book and they were wasting time.

The group had decided to leave this evening, if nothing had been found. Hermione and Malfoy were almost at the end of the Mediterranean section of the library.

"Sure" Malfoy replied, distractedly pulling more books from a shelf.

"Did you ask Fahad about opening up one of the fireplaces? We really should check in with Harry" Hermione said, slowly climbing down from her perch.

Malfoy's back stiffened. "No, I forgot. I'll go do it now. Do you have Potter's address?"

"Yes" Hermione replied, coming up behind Malfoy.

"I'll be right back" Malfoy said, glancing at her before turning to leave.

She gave him a small smile as he walked off. He didn't return it, but Hermione rather thought they were getting along. Not friends definitely, but work colleagues at least.

Hermione continued her search until she literally heard her stomach grumble. Casting a tempus charm, she learned that it was already past 2 pm.

Sighing, Hermione left the library and began to walk to her room. They only had a few hours left to search.

Where was Malfoy?

Ruminating, Hermione rounded the corner to her room and ran head on into Ron who was coming out of Tracey's room.

Um… what?

"Hermione…" Ron flustered. "I can explain…"

Ronald's face was flushed, and his hair was mussed, robes slightly askew. He didn't have much to explain.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, trying hard to keep the smirk off her face.

"How long has this been going on Ronald?" Hermione asked with mock sternness.

"This? What? There's no this" Ron stammered.

"It looks like there's a this" Hermione cocked her head.

"There's nothing. We just … sometimes … you know … we're on cases together sometimes … we just … hook up" Ron looked so flustered, it was taking all of Hermione's will power not to burst out laughing.

"Hook up? What are you? Twelve?" Hermione asked.

"Well, what else can I say?" Ron asked, pouting.

"Sex. You have sex. Like adults" Hermione finally allowed a wide grin to break through "So are you two together then?" she asked.

"What? No. Absolutely not. It's not like that" Ron said.

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you like her Ronald?"

"Well, yeah she's great" Ron said, a smile forming on his face.

"Why don't you ask her out? like on a real date?" Hermione asked.

"No. She wouldn't like that. Would she?" Ron asked in all seriousness.

"Again, how long has this been going on?" Hermione asked, beginning to walk away towards her room. Ron followed, reluctantly.

"About two years" he said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Two years! Merlin! Ask her out you big dummy. You obviously like her since you're not dating anyone else, and she obviously likes you, since she's willing to 'hook up' in the middle of the day and been doing so for two years" Hermione said, eyes rolling back as far as they could into the back of her head.

"You think so?" Ron asked sceptically.

"Yes. Ask her out. Do it soon. Oh, and if you see Fathy, can you ask him to come to my room? I need him to translate something" she said as she walked into her room.

Shaking her head in disbelief at the thought of Ron and Tracey together, Hermione finished her lunch still wondering where Malfoy had gotten to.

Just as she was about to go find him, there was a knock on her door and Fathy walked in.

"You asked to see me?" He asked in heavily accented English.

"Yes. Fathy, I found this book but there was no English label. Can you tell me what it is?" Hermione asked, holding the small leather-bound book she had found out to the Arab.

Fathy took the book and examined the first few pages.

"This is Azzalaudin's notes on the ancient family of Galanos. They lived in Greece" he said.

Hermione felt as if her head had burst.

"The Galanos family? What do you mean Azzalaudin's notes? I thought the family books were written by the families themselves" Although Hermione was itching to take the book back, she had to ask these questions.

"Yes, but sometimes the family book is unavailable or cannot be found so he write notes himself to keep a record" Fathy said.

"Right. Well thank you so much. Have you seen Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked, taking the book back and cradling it almost reverentially.

"Yes. He is with Fahad" Fathy replied.

"Still? Well, alright. Thank you Fathy" Hermione said, her smile almost splitting her face in two.

Finally, they had the book. Now they just had to floo Blaise and find out what it said.

Hermione idly flipped through the pages wishing she could decipher their meaning.

She sat back down with the book in her lap, debating on going out to find Malfoy herself.

Just as she had decided to go look for him without wasting time and was getting up off the chair, the door to her room banged open and Malfoy strode in, Ron and Tracey following in his wake.

"We need to leave. Someone is trying to breach the wards"


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**First of all, to my amazing readers, a sincere apology for the long delay in updating. I have no excuse except that the holidays were so chaotic and hectic, I absolutely could not write. I promise to update as fast as I possibly can in this new year!**

 **To everyone who leaves a review, I cannot describe how much your input means. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.**

 **I own nothing.**

"What?"

"But how?"

"Since when?"

Malfoy held up a hand against the deluge of questions heading his way.

He rolled his head back, sighed and faced the group after a slight pause. He spoke directly to Hermione.

"I went to meet Fahad to ask him to open up a floo for us to contact Potter. He mentioned to me that one of his sons had noticed a strange light last night on the far right of the compound. He said that he suspected someone was trying to breach the wards but dismissed that suspicion because very few outsiders know this location. While we were talking though, there was another series of strange lights on the other side. I went with Fahad to see what it was. Someone is definitely trying to breach the wards. They're just not using any method I'm familiar with".

The group was silent for the space of a minute.

"We need to leave" Ron finally spoke up.

"But the book…" Tracey trailed off.

Hermione held up the leather-bound book in her hand distractedly "I found the book"

All three started.

"Well this makes things a lot easier" Malfoy began, pulling his wand out of his sleeve. "The three of you need to leave immediately. Make sure you get the book safely to Greece. We don't have time to get Fathy to translate. Just take it to Blaise, I'll sort it out with Fahad later".

"Wait" Hermione was jolted out of her plan riddled mind. "What do you mean three of us? What about you?"

Malfoy considered her for a moment.

"I can't just leave Granger. Merlin knows who or what is trying to get through those wards. I need to stay and help. If we drew anyone to this place, any damage they cause would be our fault"

Malfoy adjusted the collar of his robes and Hermione caught a slight tightening of the grip on his wand.

"Just go" he said, peering out a window with a frown. "I'll get them to send your things later. Fathy is waiting downstairs to apparate you to the portkey site".

For a moment, Hermione was unsure of what to do next. Ron was looking towards her for some clue as to their next move, while Tracey was doing the same to Malfoy.

She couldn't leave him there. Not when he was risking himself to save an ancient museum filled with priceless artefacts.

"Ron. You and Tracey go. Take the book. I'll stay with Malfoy". Hermione had apparently made a plan without even thinking about it.

"What? No. I'm not going without you" Ron flustered.

"He's right. I know these people Granger, I've been here countless times before. I'll make sure everything is okay and join the rest of you in Greece as soon as I possibly can" Malfoy said hurriedly.

Hermione could see him almost jittering to leave and join a counterattack if there was going to be one.

She opened her mouth to speak.

BANG

The loud noise of an explosion was accompanied by a low hissing sound indicating that the side of a wall was coming down.

"Go. NOW!"

Hermione pushed the book in her hand into Ron's chest and used that momentum to push him and herself out the door of her room. Tracey had already begun to sprint in the direction of the explosion and Ron and Hermione hurtled after her. Hermione could hear Malfoy's footsteps behind her.

"Wait" Malfoy hissed.

Hermione came to a grinding halt, using a hand on Ron's shoulder to steady herself.

"This is absurdly pointless. There is no point in all of us staying and putting the mission in jeopardy. I will not stand around arguing. Down that hall to the right is Fathy's room. Find him and take yourselves to the portkey site. Get that book to Blaise. Granger, if you insist on staying, I would suggest you stay close unless you want to get lost" Malfoy bit out of the last few words and began to stalk down a flight of stairs.

Hermione took a second to nod at Ron before rushing down the stairs after Malfoy. Behind her, she heard, Ron and Tracey begin to jog down the hallway that Malfoy had indicated.

As much as she hated being ordered around by Malfoy, she had to admit that he had a point and that he could be decisive when he wanted to be.

She followed him in silence through a series of hallways and down another flight of stairs. As they neared the bottom, sounds of shouting and the whizz of spells being cast could be heard.

Finally, Malfoy and Hermione walked out of a narrow door and into the large courtyard they had arrived in the middle of, two days ago. The sight that greeted them made Hermione's heart sink.

Black cloaked figures were squared off against the white clad inhabitants of the compound. Clumps of foliage and flower vines were in smoking heaps and sections of the white marbled walkways had been churned off the ground.

It was utter chaos.

Malfoy dove in directly, aiming spells at the black cloaked figures with almost alarming speed. Before Hermione could fully appreciate his wand work however, a scream drew her attention elsewhere.

A black cloaked figure had blown a section off a wall on her left and through the gaping hole, Hermione could make out the figures of two women huddling against the opposite wall. Hermione leaped to the left, throwing a stunning spell as she moved. Pausing momentarily to shield the women as they ran up a staircase, Hermione hurtled off in the direction she last saw Malfoy, throwing as many shield and defensive spells as she could.

Once she had gotten Malfoy's platinum blond hair in her line of sight, Hermione backed herself against a wall and began her counterattack.

The black cloaked figures were almost frenzied in their attack. Hermione was blocking a wide array of spells; some she couldn't even recognize. At one point, a searing pain on her forearm told her that someone had sent a lacerating spell at her. Murmuring a quick healing spell, Hermione strained to catch sight of Malfoy's blond head amongst the throng.

She felt slight panic build at the realization that Malfoy was no where to be seen.

She also needed to rest.

Hermione could, through years of training, expend large amounts of energy in battle, but the longer she held up, a fatigue settled in her bones that made her sluggish. So, she knew from experience that she would soon have to take a small breather.

With this in mind, she began moving along the wall towards an entrance to one of the buildings.

All of a sudden, someone jerked on her upper arm, pulling her against them.

She gripped her wand and whipped her head up to look directly into stormy grey eyes.

Malfoy was injured.

A purplish bruise covered a side of his face and a small stream of blood was dripping from a cut on his hairline.

He was also clutching his side.

"Fahad has sent for reinforcements, they should be here any minute. We should leave" Malfoy rasped, his breath wheezing.

"What happened"? Hermione asked in a high-pitched whisper.

Malfoy pushed her in the direction of the entrance she was heading to and the two of them scuttled in and crouched just inside the door.

"I went with Fahad to seal the library. We were attacked. Three of Fahad's men were killed. He has just flooed for help. I came back to get you. We need to leave" Malfoy's words were coming out in a staccato, as if he was struggling to find the breath to speak.

"Can you move? Are we going to apparate?" Hermione asked.

Before Malfoy could reply however, a loud ululation went up from the courtyard. Leaving Malfoy crouched on the floor, Hermione peered over the side of the door.

White clad figures were appearing in groups all over the courtyard. Fahad's people had arrived.

Hermione crawled back.

"How do we leave?" she asked the blond-haired man crouched on the floor with a grimace on his face.

"Broom. We have to fly" he answered.

"What?" Hermione's question came out in a whispered scream.

Malfoy struggled to his feet.

"We can't apparate. Fahad's wards are in place and there's no one to allow us through them. There's no one to apparate us out. We fly South and apparate from there…" Malfoy trailed off as he began shuffling along a corridor that led to a small hallway.

"Malfoy… I haven't flown in years…" Hermione tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

Malfoy turned back to her, scorn written in the tense lines of his jaw.

Before he could speak however, the wall he was standing alongside exploded, throwing him forward on to the floor.

Hermione squeaked and rushed over to him, throwing a shield charm over them both.

Malfoy grunted twice before pulling himself up to his feet.

"Hold the shield" he muttered as he reached over at something on the floor hidden behind a pillar.

He pulled out two brooms and swung his leg over one.

Hermione stood stock still staring at the remaining broom on the floor.

It wasn't that she couldn't fly. She was an adequate flyer; Auror training had ensured that. She just hated it and resisted it all the more because she was merely adequate and not good at it.

Before she could muster her courage to swing her leg over it though, another BOOM sounded through the hallway in which they were standing.

In the span of a second, Malfoy had flown close, grabbed her upper arm and pulled her onto the broom in front of him.

"Do try not to fall Granger"


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Hermione would not have been able to tell anyone where she and Malfoy were at that precise moment, even if her life had depended on it.

They had left Azzalaudin's museum about an hour ago and had been flying steadily South ever since.

They had left late afternoon and from what Hermione could tell, it was now night time and fully dark. They hadn't passed what appeared to be a town or city in all this time, so she assumed they had to be flying over desert.

Hermione couldn't ask, but from the tension she felt in the torso pressed against her back and from the way the broom wavered occasionally, she knew Malfoy was in pain and most probably needed medical attention.

At long last, the broom lowered.

As soon as it reached a height where she could climb off, Hermione clambered off the broom and tried to make sense of where they were.

Behind her, Malfoy stumbled off the broom and sank to the sandy floor.

"Where are we?" she asked, not turning back to look at him.

"Somewhere in the Eastern Desert" he replied his head rolled back.

"What now?" Hermione asked, tuning around to look at him.

"We need to apparate out. Back to England" he answered not looking at her.

"You mean we need to apparate cross country? But you're injured" Hermione walked back to where Malfoy was now seated on the sand.

"I am aware of that" Malfoy replied tightly.

"Broken rib?" she asked.

"A few I think" Malfoy grimaced.

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Malfoy, you can't apparate cross country while you're injured. You run the risk of splinching yourself" she said

Silence.

"Can I see? Maybe I can do something?" she asked after a while, tentatively.

"No. I can apparate. Just give me a minute" he replied taking deep breaths.

"Merlin Malfoy. I can do simple healing charms. Enough to keep you in one piece till we get home". She said throwing her hands up.

"I said I'm fine" came back the terse reply.

"Why must you be so difficult? I'm not asking you to let me perform major surgery on you. I might be able to at least numb the pain until we get to St. Mungo's. Stop being such a stubborn git" Hermione yelled.

"Why must you always be such a damn know-it-all Granger? I said let it go" Malfoy replied in a much quieter voice.

"What is it with you and your stupid stiff upper lip? You need help and I can help. There's no way I'm letting you apparate cross country with broken ribs" Hermione crossed her arms across her chest.

"You're not letting me? You're not letting me? Who did you think I was Granger? Potter? Or Weasley? I don't take orders from you. If I say I can apparate that's what I'll do" the anger in Malfoy's voice was steadily climbing.

Hermione threw her hands up again.

"Fine. Fine. You do that Malfoy and when you leave half of your body behind, I'll be sure to tell the medi-wizards exactly where they can find it" she poured as much sarcasm into her voice as possible.

Her outburst was met with deafening silence.

Hermione realised that this new Malfoy unnerved her. The Malfoy she knew would always have had a biting retort ready. This one just maintained sullen silences.

She sighed, the anger draining from her tired frame.

"Why are you so stubborn Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

More silence.

Hermione sighed.

"Well. Okay then. Let me know when you're ready" she said and settled herself on the sand; cross-legged, arms crossed over her chest.

Malfoy was taking deep breaths as if trying to asses the amount of pain in his ribs each time he breathed.

"What is it with you lot and your hero complex? I don't need you to heal me Granger. I don't need you to feel responsible for me or my well-being. If I can't apparate, I would expect you to do so alone. Send help later if you can. I can't have you expend any more magic healing me when you have to apparate" Malfoys words floated along the night air quietly to her.

"Hero complex? Is that what you think this is?" Hermione asked, more curious than angry.

Malfoy continued looking at the ground.

"We're on a mission. In a foreign country. And we're on the same team. I was only trying to help. Not make myself a hero Malfoy" she continued looking up at the millions of stars above them.

"And yet it would have made you one" Malfoy replied, climbing shakily to his feet.

Hermione shrugged.

"If the purpose was served, would that have been so bad?" she asked.

"I wouldn't know Granger. Never been a hero before" Malfoy replied, pulling his wand out and pointing it towards his ribs.

He muttered an incantation and shook himself slightly.

"Let's go" he said.

Hermione got up and walked over to him.

"Will you apparate straight to St. Mungos?" she asked.

"No. To Malfoy Manor. We have our own healers" he replied.

Hermione considered this for a moment and decided not to argue.

As they were about to apparate though, Malfoy swayed on his feet and Hermione had to jump sideways to catch him before he fell.

Taking a split-second decision, Hermione grabbed him around his middle and using every last bit of her energy, twirled on the spot, thinking hard of Malfoy Manor.

POP

They landed in a heap at the large wrought iron gates of Malfoy Manor.

Hermione struggled to her feet and dragged Malfoy up the steps. After he unlocked the wards, she heaved him through the door and into the large hallway.

"Why…" Malfoy began.

"Oh shut it Malfoy" Hermione huffed, dropping his arm and leaning against a pillar.

"Marley" Malfoy said almost imperceptibly.

A house elf appeared at his word and helped Malfoy off down the hallway.

Hermione stayed where she was for a few minutes, catching her breath. Apparating cross country was terribly draining and side-along apparating another person even more so. Together with the fact that Hermione had been in a battle not more than three hours before had all left her completely winded.

Just as she was preparing to get off her pillar and leave however, Malfoy's house elf reappeared.

"Master would like Miss Granger to join him in the study" he said bowing low.

Hermione sighed but reluctantly followed. She was now wholly focused on contacting Harry and seeing whether Ron and Tracey had turned up and also on taking a much-needed shower, food and sleep.

Malfoy was stretched out on a plush sofa, a tumbler of what looked like firewhiskey in his hand.

His breathing was still shallow but the pallor on his face had lifted somewhat.

He studied her for a few minutes.

"I think the words you're looking for are thank you" Hermione said.

Malfoy continued to watch her for a few seconds before lifting his wand and pointing it at the fireplace behind her.

A fire instantly roared to life.

"The floo powder is on the mantlepiece" he said, bringing his glass to his lips. "You may as well contact Potter now. I want to check on Tracey too".

Hermione went to the floo immediately. She wanted to have this taken care of.

"Cassandra house" she shouted as she threw in the powder and stuck her head in.

She was now looking at a gorgeous sitting room which was however, empty of people.

"Harry! Seamus!" she shouted.

There was a sound of footsteps and suddenly Mandy Brocklehurst's face came into view. There were dark bags under her eyes and she looked exhausted.

"Hermione! Oh thank Merlin, we were so worried about you" she said "Guys it's Hermione" she shouted off towards the side.

"Is Ron there? And Tracey?" Hermione asked hurriedly.

Before Mandy could reply however, Ron's face appeared in the fire place, followed closely by Tracey's and Harry's. Harry's face was bruised and there appeared to be a bandage over his left shoulder.

"'mione you're alright. And Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"He's hurt but alright. We're both okay. Harry what happened to you?" she asked.

"It's not good Hermione. They've got numbers and they're attacking. We discovered one of their hideouts the day before and managed to capture two but they're both new recruits. Didn't know much." Harry answered.

"And the book?" she asked.

"Blaise is reading it now" Tracey answered.

"A lady from a prominent pure-blood family was kidnapped on the day we arrived. We found her body yesterday, same as the others" Harry said.

"Has Ernie found anything?" she asked.

"Not yet" Harry said "I have a feeling they're looking for us though. We were ambushed this morning, coming back from reconnaissance".

"I wonder how they knew about the museum though. It's too much of a coincidence that they attacked just when we got there" Hermione asked.

A glance passed between Harry and Ron. Mandy looked away from the fireplace.

"what?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed.

"It was no coincidence 'mione. We're quite sure that they knew you were there and what you were looking for".

"But how?" Hermione asked.

"Seamus was captured during our raid of their hideout. We haven't found him yet".


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

"What? How?" Hermione couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Seamus was missing.

"There was a battle. We were outnumbered. We managed to capture two of theirs, but they got Seamus" Mandy replied.

"We've been tracking them and scouring the country since then but there's no sign of him. Some of the locals seem to know about the Master's and have heard of them historically but no one's willing to tell us anything particularly useful" Harry added.

"Blaise has managed to make some lady friends while out and about so he's working on that angle for information. This afternoon, just before he came, one of his girls have given him the location of another possible hideout" Tracey said.

"We'll look into it tomorrow. Just how badly injured is Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Before Hermione could answer, a voice came from behind her.

"I'll be fine in a few hours Potter. I should be able to join you tomorrow" Malfoy drawled.

"Right. And you Hermione?" Harry asked, looking at her anxiously.

"I'm tired and hungry more than anything else. We'll be there early tomorrow. We'll join you on the raid" she said, looking back at Malfoy for confirmation.

Malfoy inclined his head in her direction.

"Right. Okay then get some rest. See you soon" Harry said with a tight smile.

"You too. Be safe guys and tell Blaise to finish that book somehow" Hermione said sending them all a sad smile in return.

She got up off the floor and stood there staring at the now empty fireplace.

Seamus had been with them since they had joined Auror training. He was brave and loyal, and they had shared quite a lot of experiences and memories over the years on various missions. Hermione's heart ached at the thought of him captured, possibly being questioned and tortured.

She shook herself mentally and physically.

Seamus was strong and had been in similar situations before and made it out. They'd find him. She just needed to get to Greece.

"Earth to Granger" Malfoy spoke from behind her.

She let out a big sigh.

"Well I'll leave you to it then. Can you manage the portkey to Greece for tomorrow?" she asked, walking briskly to the door.

"Yes. You'll also be glad to know that I've had an owl from Fahad. It was delivered before we arrived actually. He says that the library is safe although some of their buildings have sustained damage. They have taken five prisoners and lost two of their men. He will question the prisoners themselves and punish them as he sees fit" Malfoy looked over his glass at her as he spoke.

Hermione nodded.

"I am glad the library is safe. I would love to go back there some time. If you can arrange it for me" she said the last bit as a question.

Malfoy inclined his head in acquiescence.

They looked steadily at each other in silence for a minute.

"You were quite… skilled… back there. At the museum" Malfoy said slowly, lowering his eyes to his glass again.

Hermione noticed that he had shed his robes at some point and that the black shirt he had been wearing underneath was splattered with blood. He was also lying down at a strange angle, presumably to avoid pain from his broken ribs.

She also noticed for the first time that Malfoy had somehow built up an athletic physique which was always hidden under layers of black clothing. While appreciating that this was probably not the time and that Merlin forbid she thought Malfoy had somehow become attractive, she couldn't deny that he did have some appeal. Probably not universal appeal but there was something intriguing about him, appearance wise; in the sharp angles of his jaw, implacable grey eyes and haughty posture. He was a textbook aristocrat.

Merlin's saggy underpants, she must really be delirious with exhaustion if she was finding Malfoy attractive.

No. Not attractive. Intriguing.

The corners of her mouth lifted at Malfoy's weak attempt at thanking her from bringing him home.

"You're welcome Malfoy" she said leaning against the door, with her arms crossed.

Malfoy huffed.

"Ever so gracious" he finished off his glass.

"I should have just done that without arguing with you to begin with" she said with a small huff.

"I'm quite sure you thrive on argument Granger" he said, shifting slightly.

"You may be right" she shrugged "Where's your healer?"

"Marley has sent for him" Malfoy replied.

"Right. Well I'll see you bright and early then?" she asked, forcing some fake cheer into her voice.

"Yes. At the ministry apparition point. I will speak to Shaklebolt tonight" Malfoy replied eyeing her intensely.

Hermione nodded "Goodnight Malfoy" she said over her shoulder as she turned.

"Granger"

Hermione turned her head.

"We'll find him".

Malfoy had apparently caught on to the worry and anxiety over Seamus that she was valiantly trying to conceal

Hermione stood for a second with her hand on the handle of the door looking into Malfoy's stormy grey eyes that were at this moment somehow unreadable and yet filled with some meaning.

She nodded once then and left his room.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

Draco Malfoy landed on his feet lightly and automatically reached out to steady his travel companion Hermione Granger.

Without wholly realising what it was doing, Draco's arm snaked its way around Hermione's waist as she teetered precariously on the spot where the portkey had deposited them. A moment later, she had righted herself and had thanked Draco by way of a tight smile and they were off down the still dark alleyway into which they had just arrived.

It was a slightly chilly early morning in Megara Greece where Draco and Granger were now walking towards Cassandra House, situated at the end of a cul-de-sac in what appeared to be an extremely wealthy Greek neighbourhood. Draco trailed about a step behind Granger, watching alertly for any sign of an impending attack or for anyone who might be watching or tracking them. From time to time, he looked at the back of the swiftly walking auror in front of him who moved with purpose; wand clutched discreetly at her side, long brown plait swinging like a pendulum at her back.

Draco wondered distractedly when exactly it was that Hermione Granger had fallen on to his radar. Ever since that first meeting in his study and more so after he saw her in battle, she had kept straying into his mind at odd random moments. Of course, this wasn't new. During the six years he spent at Hogwarts, Granger had managed to occupy his thoughts considerably, albeit in a completely different mien.

Then, she was the annoying, know-it-all mudblood sidekick of the even more annoying Potter. He never had any good thoughts about her, or in fact, any particularly humanizing thoughts about her at all. Rather they were dark ruminations, plots and schemes to get the Golden Trio to fail or mess up in some way. Or perhaps ways to rail the bushy haired witch up. Then, he had barely even thought of her as a witch.

Now however, he was deeply intrigued.

She was one of the most powerful witches he had ever met. She was intelligent and cunning and astoundingly strong. Draco kept getting the urge to speak to her, converse about random subjects, spend time in her presence.

Up to now, Draco had never associated or been friends with anyone outside his own circle. Except for working with other half-bloods and muggle-borns, Draco didn't really know much about them or their lives. He found himself wondering whether perhaps now wasn't the time to expand his circle.

Maybe just a little bit.

Granger paused at the entrance to the driveway.

"Will you disable the wards?" she asked.

Draco stepped forward and waved his wand. "Huh" he said distractedly, cocking his head in concentration.

"'What's wrong?" Granger asked.

Draco was silent for the space of a few seconds. Then it dawned on him.

"Potter" he said quietly waving his wand a few more times before grunting in frustration.

"Potter has added new wards to mine. I can't undo them" he said finally, dropping his hand.

Granger lifted her wand and waved it over the entryway.

After a few minutes her face scrunched up in a frown. She pointed her wand more determinedly and a silvery otter burst out the end and gambolled off down the paved entrance.

She shrugged "I could dismantle them but why waste time".

They stood at the entrance awkwardly.

"Whose place is this?" Granger asked finally.

"It belongs to the Greengrasses. They use it on vacations. One of Astoria's uncles lives down the road, I believe he keeps an eye on the upkeep of the property when no one's here" Draco answered.

"The location is beautiful. You've been here before?" Granger asked, looking up at him sideways.

Draco hesitated momentarily although he couldn't say why.

"Yes" he answered not willing to disclose that his and Astoria's betrothal party had taken place in this very house.

Granger looked at him quizzically for a minute before opening her mouth to speak.

Before she could ask him anything though, Potter appeared from the far end of the porch that wrapped around the entire property. He waved his wand as he walked and pulled Granger into a hug as soon as she stepped through the wards.

"We were worried 'mione" he said quietly into Granger's shoulder.

Draco felt intensely uncomfortable. He was always awkward with any kind of physical contact which Granger and her friends engaged in so liberally.

"Malfoy" Potter nodded in his direction as he untangled himself from Granger.

"Any news on Seamus?" Granger asked.

Potter shook his head and looked at the ground.

"Why don't you get some breakfast while the others wake up. We need to decide how we're going to manage the raid and ask Blaise what he found in the book" Potter said wearily leading the way into the house.

Draco was on his second cup of coffee by the time everyone had assembled. Granger had fiddled with some waffles and tea during that time, but he had noticed that she had actually only eaten a bite or two.

Draco looked around at the gathered assembly.

Theo, Blaise, Tracey and Weasley were sitting at the table eating while Brocklehurst and McMillan were sitting at the island counter in the middle of the morning room drinking tea and talking quietly. Granger, Potter and Stewart were talking on the porch just outside the kitchen.

As he watched, Stewart threw his arm around Granger and gave her a one-armed hug. She leaned into him and briefly kept her head on his shoulder. Draco shifted in his chair; discomfited but unable to say why.

Finally, Potter trudged into the house and asked everyone to gather in the study.

Draco finished his coffee moodily and joined the others. Potter was already talking.

"… so we need a cover of some sort otherwise if we go in there with wands blazing, it will cause an international incident and we're not even sure if Seamus is there. Or anyone for that matter. I would also prefer if it were just a reconnaissance mission instead of an actual raid. Unless of course Seamus is there, then we can rescue him".

"Where is this place?" Draco asked, settling himself against the wall just inside the door.

"It's an escort agency mate. A little outside of Megara. It's a fairly big building. From what I heard, the service is run from the front while the Masters are in the back and in the higher stories.

"What exactly do you mean by escort agency? Like a brothel?" Granger asked, distaste evident on her face and in her tone.

Theo let out a little laugh.

"No Hermione. An escort agency is where rich wizards go to find beautiful female dates for their functions. Sometimes it's just not seemingly to turn up alone" Theo shrugged "There's no funny business from what I know, they just 'escort' as it were".

"He's right" Blaise spoke up "The girl I managed to make friends with said that a lot of rich wizards and witches too apparently, come to just hire them for company or as dates. It's supposed to be one of the biggest agencies in the country".

"Do they have those in England too mate?" Weasley asked from the recesses of a large armchair near the floo.

Blaise narrowed his eyes before replying "If you know where to find them, for the correct price, yes".

"Alright" Potter said rubbing his hand over his forehead "How do we get in?"

"Well since this is reconnaissance as you said, I feel like it might better to go undercover. Like a client looking for a date" Theo replied, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Potter looked conflicted for a while before he spoke again.

"I could do it" he said.

"You most certainly cannot. Your face is too well known the world over. We can't run the risk of the famous Harry Potter being seen in an escort agency. That will tip off the Greek ministry as well as the Masters" Draco replied tersely.

"He's right Harry" Granger spoke from behind a large desk. "There's too much of a chance that someone might recognise you. And you're not exactly the escort agency type".

"No, he is not. There is someone who is though" Theo spoke with deliberate slowness.

Draco sighed.

"I'll do it" Draco said, "Just get me an introduction".

"You can't possibly go alone" Granger spoke again.

"I can assure you, I am very much capable of taking care of myself" Draco said, glancing at her.

"I know that. It's just not smart going into a possibly volatile situation alone. Seamus was capable of taking care of himself too" she bit back.

"She's right Draco. I'll come with you" Tracey said from her perch on the couch "I make a convincing rich pureblood right?" she asked Ron.

Weasley nodded sagely while Draco fumed.

"Don't worry" Blaise said "It won't look weird. Sophia told me that a lot of women come to their open house in the evening. She said it's a very party-like atmosphere".

"Lovely" Draco replied dryly.

He wasn't overly concerned about this little excursion though. He had been undercover many times and acting like a bored, rich pureblood wouldn't take much of an effort.

Potter clapped his hands together.

"Right. This is what will happen then. Malfoy and Davies will go in separately and mingle. Get information and try to scout the place as much as possible. Focus on entry and exit points that sort of thing. Me, Hermione and Stewart will be right outside in case you find Seamus or things go South. Mandy and Ron will stay here and provide backup if needed. Blaise, when did you say your friend asked you to come?" Potter asked.

"At about 6pm. She said the guard is considerably lessened at that time and no one really pays much attention to what's going on inside the house" Blaise replied.

"Okay. That's what we'll do then. Now, tell Hermione and Malfoy what you found out about the book" Potter settled himself in a chair in front of the desk Granger was sitting at.

"There's actually quite a bit on Pandora" Blaise said turning to Granger "She has shown remarkably powerful magic from a very young age, almost since the onset. And she's also been quite an innovator. She's formulated spells, potions and altered wards and charms. Her marriage to Aesalon had only driven her further".

"She practiced Dark Magic?" Weasley asked.

"Yes, almost exclusively. And the book also says that she invented a spell that causes immense pain. I'm assuming that's the Crutiatus" Blaise looked at Draco almost apologetically.

Draco watched him, carefully schooling his features to appear blank.

"Anyway, it doesn't really say much about her greatest invention, which I'm assuming is the amulet. Only that she could do the impossible with it and cause great devastation. It also said that Pandora's power only grew as time went by". Blaise fell silent.

"Well we already knew most of that" Granger muttered "Is that all Blaise?"

"It also said that Pandora placed the strongest of blood wards on the amulet to ensure its protection. Its power could only be wielded by someone with a direct connection to her blood" Blaise continued looking at his hands.

"So, Malfoy?" Granger asked, looking at Draco intently.

Draco shrugged, his actions belying the sinking sensation he felt in the pit of his stomach.

Potter sighed.

"No. That's where it gets interesting" he said, nodding at Blaise to continue.

"The last thing about Pandora, in the book, says that the true power of the amulet will only reveal itself fully to a daughter. Or in other words, to a _woman_ bearing the Galanos blood".


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

"So, basically you're saying that Malfoy tagged along all this time for nothing?" Ron asked incredulously lifting his head from the leather armchair in which he was seated.

Ron's question had broken the long and heavy silence that had greeted Blaise's final words.

If the amulet only revealed its true power to a woman, at first glance it did seem as if Malfoy's presence was unnecessary. But Hermione knew that it wasn't so simple. Pandora's feministic tendencies aside, her creation was obviously one imbued with ancient magic and Hermione knew for a fact that ancient magic and especially ancient dark magic, meant blood wards.

"Of course, not Ron."

Hermione chanced a glance at Malfoy before continuing. He was standing just inside the door, leaning against the wall with his hands crossed over his chest. He was looking at the floor, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Even though Malfoy is not female, he still carries Pandora's blood. In the absence of a female descendent, Malfoy may still be the only one who can destroy or control it" she said, still looking at the erstwhile blond.

"That doesn't make sense though" Malfoy looked up at her "Someone is already presumably using the amulet. I'm the only direct Malfoy descendent still alive. Additionally, the Malfoy's haven't produced female heirs in decades".

They stared at each other for a few minutes, concentration etched on their faces.

"We'll just have to assume that someone managed to break through the blood wards and figured out how to use it" Hermione muttered, although she realised that her assumption was farfetched.

"Blood wards are almost impossible to disable or trick, that's why it was used so much in ancient dark magic. It's also why they're not used anymore. It literally asks for your blood" Malfoy countered.

"But it's not the blood per se, though is it?" Hermione asked, rather forgetting the others in the room. At the moment, she realised that barring Ernie, she and Malfoy may be the only ones following the same train of thought.

"The blood ward recognises the magic in the blood. So, for example, if you were to have a child who was a squib, they wouldn't be able to disable the wards anyway" she continued.

"You're assuming that someone was able to tap into the magic that the blood ward required" Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck. "Theoretically that may be possible, I've never heard of it done though. Have you?" he looked back up at her.

"No…" Hermione trailed off thinking. "But, there have been advances in research on wards and how they can be disabled or manipulated. Either way, we have to assume we're dealing with a very powerful wizard. Or at the very least, a highly intelligent one".

"That's a given anyway" Malfoy agreed. "Perhaps he figured out how to trick the ward by duplicating the core magic? Is that even possible?" he asked her.

"If it were, he would have had to study the Galanos line very carefully. Core magic can be highly specific, especially in generations old, pure blooded families such as yours. I've never heard of it being done, but I suppose theoretically it can be. It would be extremely difficult though, without being able to at least study the magic of a living holder of the blood. But that would have to be you. Or your father?"

Hermione had been muttering almost to herself, her thoughts jumping ahead of her but one look at his face told her that Malfoy had been thinking the exact same thing.

He gave a forceful sigh.

"My father had many secrets. If someone did study him with or without his knowledge, I have no clue of it" he said.

A throat cleared loudly.

Hermione was jerked out of her deep reverie.

Harry was regarding them with narrowed eyes.

"As interesting as this discussion is, I feel like we're missing the point. We need to get Seamus and we need to bring this murderer to a halt. So, we don't really need to know how this wizard is using the amulet only that he needs to be stopped. So, we go along with our original plan. Is everyone clear on that?" he asked wearily.

"Actually" Hermione spoke before she could stop herself, and she knew she should because Harry was in a mood.

"If this wizard has no familial connection to the Malfoy's it would be much easier to destroy the amulet because it's allegiance, however slight would be to a blood holder and hence to Malfoy" she finished.

"Great. Let's hope that's the case then" Harry said, getting up off his chair. "Malfoy and Tracey, please find something appropriate to wear. Let's meet back here at 5pm. Me and Ron are going to the outhouse that we raided two days ago, Mandy I want you to take Stewart and scout out the alleyway that we followed the Master's to. Hermione, get some rest please". Harry walked out of the study as he talked.

Ron soon followed after giving Hermione's head a pat.

Hermione sat where she was for some time, lost in thought.

If it were possible to duplicate core magic, that would be truly ground-breaking information. It wasn't a good idea of course, she had no idea how such practices could get out of control. But to think about it was infinitely fascinating.

The concept of core magic was extremely outdated. Mostly because it was pure blooded wizarding families that held on to it. After centuries of ensuring a direct line of magic being passed down, many pure-blooded wizards believed that their family's core magic was intact. For half-bloods and muggle-borns of course, this meant nothing as the commingling of wizard and muggle blood ensured that core magic was divided and hence its potency lost.

Because of this theory, many wizards believed that blood wards set up by half-bloods and muggle-borns were not as strong as those set by pure-bloods. This was a moot point however, as blood wards had been abolished and banned for decades.

"Potter doesn't seem to understand the importance of studying the amulet before hunting for it" Malfoy dropped into the chair in front of the table that Hermione was sitting behind.

"Harry's always razor focused on what must be done, especially if he's in charge of a case. Of course, because this one has murder involved, it makes him all the tetchier. He just wants to catch whoever is behind this, quickly" Hermione answered, leaning back in her chair, chewing on her bottom lip distractedly.

"We won't be able to catch anyone if we don't fully know what we're getting ourselves into. Up to now we have almost twenty people dead, with no trace of how they got that way. we can't afford to go in blind" he said.

"I agree. But we're not blind. Not completely at least. Plus, we have you. You can get through whatever protective wards will be on it" Hermione replied, her eyes finally landing square on the stormy grey eyes in front of her.

Malfoy sighed and leaned back himself but made no reply.

"How's your ribs?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy merely shrugged.

"Will you be able to fight today, if it comes to that?" she asked, after a moment.

Malfoy cocked an eyebrow at her in silent challenge.

Hermione felt the corners of her mouth lift as she raised her hands in mock surrender.

"You've changed Malfoy" she said, her mouth spilling words before her brain had time to analyse them.

"How so?" he asked.

"No snide comments, no witty comebacks. No insults about my hair" she listed.

"I'm sure you've noticed that we're all adults now. Besides, snide comments and insults would serve no purpose" he said quietly, face utterly blank.

Hermione felt her eyes role.

"Do you always talk like a character from an eighteenth-century novel" she asked.

"What?"

"Never mind".

Hermione turned to look out the window.

"I'm not the only one who has changed. I'd say you're a different person as well. Less bossy know-it-all and more intelligent know-it-all" Malfoy drawled.

"Why Malfoy, I feel like that's a compliment" Hermione turned back to him with her eyes glittering.

He looked at her sharply.

They were silent for a few minutes.

"Do you still believe that pure bloods are superior" she asked quietly.

The silence stretched on. Malfoy's eyes had dropped from hers to the table top. He kept on picking up and putting down a crystal paperweight.

"No"

He put down the paperweight and got to his feet.

He looked straight into her eyes, grey boring into brown.

"I stopped believing that when I saw the dead laid out in the main hall at Hogwarts. Their blood was the same as mine. In death, no one is superior".


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Hermione leaned lightly on the edge of the South wall surrounding the building where the escort agency was currently handing out dates. Behind her was a dense shrubbery ensuring that she was in relative darkness. She could feel, more than actually see, Harry and Stewart behind and to the left of her respectively.

Approximately thirty minutes ago, Malfoy and Tracey had headed into the building, followed a few minutes later by Blaise.

Chewing on the inside of her lip, Hermione thought carefully about what happened just before they had left Cassandra house.

She had gotten ready and was waiting in the foyer with Harry, Ron, Mandy, Stewart and Theo. They had been discussing the possible options for extraction in the event that Seamus was on the premises. A few minutes in, Tracey had swept down the staircase and into the foyer, her entrance causing Ron to stumble off his chair.

If Hermione had previously thought that Tracey was attractive, she now had to alter that thought.

Tracey was drop dead gorgeous. She was wearing a silvery gown with no sleeves, cut low into her cleavage. On the right side of the dress was a slit up to mid-thigh. Tracey's long raven black hair had been left to cascade down her back; its movement reminiscent of a rippling waterfall when she walked.

Hermione could make out faint gurgling noises from behind her and turned to see Ron gulping at Tracey like a dying fish.

Letting out a loud sigh, Hermione nodded appreciatively at Tracey and was rewarded immediately with a bright smile.

"Where's your wand?" Harry asked quizzically.

"No where that I can show you but worry not Potter, I can reach it in an emergency" Tracey smirked.

Harry's head jerked back in surprise, but he kept quiet after giving Tracey a once over.

"You look stunning" Ron had finally remembered words.

"Why thank you Ronald" Tracey had smiled brightly before moving to sit on a chaise lounge, Ron following in her wake.

Hermione had just turned back to Harry when another set of footsteps clambered down the stairs.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to floo home to sort out some things" Malfoy spoke without looking up from his robes which he was attempting to button at the collar.

His hair had fallen over his eyes and as soon as he was done with his buttons, he pushed it away to look at everyone gathered.

He really was quite striking Hermione decided. Not conventionally attractive but something in his posture and bearing … she had gone down this trail of thought so many times now she was sick of it.

Hermione had given herself a small shake as Malfoy's gaze fell on Tracey and his lips went up in a guarded smirk.

All of a sudden, Hermione felt her hackles raise while also simultaneously feeling a heavy sense of despondency.

Despite being one of the best aurors in the country and having one of the most brilliant minds of the wizarding world (a fact she accepted with grace and some inner gloating), Hermione knew she would never be like Tracey.

Where Tracey was glamour and breath-taking beauty, Hermione was plain and approachable. Tracey was a siren, and Hermione was a homebody.

Although she wouldn't have had it any other way, Hermione knew that all the intelligence in the world could not make her beautiful; at least not in the way that would make someone like Malfoy smirk unconsciously as he had just done.

She hadn't even noticed that an expression had turned up on her face until Malfoy's eyes had landed on hers and an eyebrow had risen into his blond hair.

Hermione had quickly schooled her expression and turned back to Harry.

They had run through the plan for the tenth time; Malfoy and Tracey look around. If they find Seamus only, they send for Harry, Hermione and Stewart. If things go terribly wrong, they send for Ron and Mandy.

Hermione was putting on her robes and securing her wand when she had felt someone close to her. She had recognised the expensive cologne before she turned her head to narrow her eyes at Malfoy.

"Tracey is very effective when she needs to be. She plays her part well" he had said close to her ear.

"What are you on about Malfoy?" Hermione had asked.

Malfoy shrugged.

"Tracey is attractive in a way that appeals to men. It's very useful on the field" he had said cryptically.

"Yes, I do have eyes Malfoy. I can see that she's attracting every man within a five-mile radius" Hermione fought to keep the huff out of her voice.

"Almost every man" he had said with a rather pronounced smirk.

Hermione straightened and faced him while rolling her eyes, a retort about men and their weakness for attractive females at the tip of her tongue.

But he had beat her to it.

"I for one, have recently discovered that I am attracted to intelligence more than mere beauty. I feel it makes women more desirable" he had said.

Hermione's words had died on her lips as she stared at the blond.

Malfoy turned after a poignant second and had swept out the front door, a few steps behind Tracey.

"Hey Hermione, can you make out some people out back near the iron gate?" Harry's words brought Hermione out of her reverie.

She peered over her shoulder at the back of the building but couldn't see anything. Cursing her lack of height, she turned and shook her head at Harry. The muffled sound of footsteps indicated that either Harry or Stewart had headed off in the direction of the backyard.

Hermione's thoughts began churning again.

Was Malfoy trying to say something with his strange double speak? Was he saying that he found her desirable? He was attracted to her intelligence? Wasn't he engaged?

Merlin! She hated when she couldn't unravel something.

Suddenly there was a touch on her elbow and Stewart was pulling her backwards. "Harry found something round the back" he whispered in her ear.

Hermione shuffled behind Stewart until they came to where Harry was crouched near the end of the shrubbery. He indicated for both to crouch and look around the corner.

Sure enough, three figures in dark robes were talking near an outhouse which was near the back exit of the compound, completely detached from the main house.

As they watched, another black robed figure rushed out of the main building and began talking animatedly to the other three. Within seconds, they had all apparated out.

Although there was no way to know whether the people they had seen were the Masters or not, it was strange that they were in full black wizards robes at an escort agency party.

"I'm going to go scout around that area. You two stay here" Harry whispered.

"Harry wait. It's Malfoy" Stewart pointed to the back exit of the main building.

Malfoy rushed down the stairs and ran at full hilt towards the outhouse as Harry, Hermione and Stewart watched.

"Something's wrong" Hermione said as Tracey appeared and took the same path that Malfoy had, pulling her wand out of her garter belt from the high slit in her dress as she ran.

"We should follow them" Harry said standing up.

"Wait, we don't know… Hermione's words trailed off as Tracey reappeared out of the outhouse and sent a string of red sparks out of her wand. The sign for danger and request for immediate assistance.

Hermione was up and running behind Harry without even pausing to think.

Harry vaulted over the wrought iron gate.

Hermione was a second behind him although she chose to unlatch and push open the gate as she ran in.

Harry stopped near Tracey, who seemed to have gone deathly pale, for a second before wrenching open the door of the outhouse and rushing in.

Tracey began to walk quickly towards her as Hermione ran over, Stewart pushing past her and into the outhouse as she slowed to a jog.

"Hermione… wait… don't…" Tracey stammered.

"What? What's wrong? Where's Malfoy?" Hermione asked as she passed Tracey and kept moving.

"Hermione…" Tracey's voice came to her just as she stepped into the outhouse.

She stepped into a hallway. It was completely devoid of any furniture, save for a straight-backed chair just in front of a window.

Sitting on that chair, hands tied behind the back rest, head hanging forward, was Seamus Finnegan.

He was dead.

Hermione didn't know that she was screaming.

She didn't know that Harry had cast a silencing charm just before her mouth opened.

She didn't know whose arms grabbed her around her waist as she careened forward.

And when she crumpled to the ground, she didn't know who sunk to the ground with her as she screamed into their chest.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**A big thank you to all who left comments and reviews. I'm so sorry I can't reply to you all personally because I hardly have time to write as is and when I do have time, I just put down the story as fast as I can.**

 **Your words mean the world to me and I hear all of you. Your comments guide me more than I can say. Thank you once again!**

 **This chapter is very personal to me as I exorcised some of my own demons in writing.**

 **Thank you Sjay1102**

This couldn't be happening.

Hermione Granger refused to accept that one of her closest friends, one who had been with her since Hogwarts, who'd fought in the war alongside her, who'd gone through Auror training with her, who'd been on countless missions with her, was no longer alive.

In the deep recesses of her mind into which she had now retreated, Hermione realised the magnitude of that word.

Alive.

What did it mean to be alive? To be breathing, walking and talking, laughing and eating, sleeping?

And how was it that someone who was doing all those things just a day ago, not be doing those things anymore?

How could a person who filled the world with their presence just be gone now?

Was there a large Seamus shaped hole in the universe now?

It was like someone had turned off a switch. He was there one moment and gone the next.

Hermione had lost people before. During the war, there were so many of her loved ones who'd perished. Fred, Remus, Tonks, Dobby, the list went on.

But that was a war. People were fighting, knowing that they might be killed. There was a reason and a person to blame.

Who could she blame?

"Hermione… love you need to snap out of it"

Someone was crooning soothing words in her ear.

As Hermione pulled herself begrudgingly and with the greatest difficulty, out of her mind, she became aware of her surroundings.

She was lying on something soft, there was a blanket of something soft and heavy covering her. Her head was in someone's lap and whoever it was, was gently rubbing her head.

Hermione couldn't believe this had happened again.

Ever since the war and since she joined the auror department, she discovered that she was able to disappear into her head when she needed to; where all that existed was her and her thoughts. When this happened, she had a difficult time coming back to the physical present. It was the same thing that had happened with Malfoy at Whitford, where she only realised her wand was up his jaw when she came out of her haze.

She assumed this was a coping mechanism her psyche had conjured to protect her from things she knew could overwhelm her.

Blinking rapidly, Hermione willed her brain to stop whirring and for it to place her in the real world.

She was at Cassandra house, in the main hall, on a couch.

Her head was in Ron's lap and he was attempting to get her to snap out of her funk.

And Seamus was dead.

No.

No no no no no.

Hermione bit down a sob.

"Hermione, please don't cry" Ron pulled her torso up and into a big bear hug. She hid her face in his neck and cried her heart out.

She didn't know for how long she stayed like that but eventually her sobs dwindled into sniffles.

Ron pushed her matted hair out of the way and peered into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry you had to see him like that 'mione. He was a good bloke who didn't deserve what happened to him" Ron continued.

Hermione looked around.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Mandy and Stewart went home with… with Seamus. Harry is on the floo with Shaklebolt. Malfoy and Blaise are speaking with the Greek ministry. I think Nott and Tracey are working to get some more of their defence people to Greece for back up. There are lots of things that need to be handled" Ron said.

Hermione nodded.

"Does Ernie know what happened?" she asked.

"No. Ernie says this one is just like all the others, no evidence of violence, no sign of a dark curse" he replied.

They were silent.

Hermione felt her emotions ricochet in her heart and mind.

On the one hand she felt utterly bereft, numb and just laden with grief. On the other, her anger was rapidly rising. She was angry at so many people; These masters, whoever they were, for going around killing people, their leader, herself for not figuring out the case sooner, her team for being too slow and still not having enough information…

"Hermione, breathe" Ron's voice was soft, but it made her stop short.

Sure enough, her hair was standing on end and cackling with static, as it did whenever her emotions ran riot. Her wand, which was clutched in her hand had become so hot to the touch that she was almost burning herself and from the way Ron was leaning away from her slightly, Hermione could tell that her immediate vicinity had become saturated with uncontrolled magic.

She took a few deep calming breaths until her wand became slightly cooler and her hair hung limp.

"We need to keep searching for them" she said.

"We will. We just need to sort ourselves out first alright?" Ron was attempting to be soothing.

"Sort ourselves? What do you mean by that? We don't have time to sort ourselves" Hermione said, her anger raising its head again.

Ron held his hands up.

"I hear what you're saying. We do need to move fast but we also need to be at our full capacity. For that, we need backup, rest, food and a plan. Alright?" Ron was talking slowly.

"Every second we waste doing that, another person might die Ron" Hermione spat out, swinging her legs off the couch and sitting up straight, pulling her robes around her neck.

"Hermione…"

She took a few more breaths, willing the anger away.

"Alright. I'm sorry Ron. Its just…"

"I know" Ron put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against him.

They stayed like that silently until the room began to slowly fill up with people coming back from their various tasks.

At one point, Harry plopped down onto the couch next to Hermione, gave her a one-armed squeeze and then leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Hermione felt for her best friend. After all these years, Harry was still taking the brunt of the responsibility for their friends lives. She was sure that at this very minute, Harry was blaming himself in some way for the death of Seamus. Just like she was.

Malfoy and Blaise were the last ones in; their arrival preceded by a house elf who came bearing a tray of hot chocolate, a mug of which Ron forced Hermione to drink.

No one spoke for some time.

"Malfoy mate, you need to tell us what happened in there" Ron said finally.

Malfoy took a long breath. He was standing near the floo on the opposite side of the hall, arms crossed, looking at the floor, Nott and Tracey sitting in front of a small coffee table just next to him.

"During the first half hour or so, nothing happened. People were walking in and out, the girls were getting hired out, there was music and food, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. At one point though, I saw a wizard in dark robes with the hood up, inside one of the rooms, so I alerted Tracey and followed him when he moved upstairs. On the third floor, there were two more of them and they were talking in French".

"My French is not that good, I can understand a few words here and there, but I didn't want to leave them to get Blaise in case they led me to Finnigan, so I stayed. From the words I could understand, I made out that there was an outhouse and that someone was there, and they needed to move that person. It was very fast I wasn't even sure that was what they were actually saying".

"All of a sudden, a non-corporeal patronus appeared and said something in French and there was a lot of moving around and confusion. Two of them apparated out and the other one headed to the door. I couldn't come out of my hiding place, so I just stayed there until that wizard left and followed him downstairs" Malfoy stopped for breath.

"There were two women inside the main hall, I think they were also part of the group because they kept their hoods up at all times and they just looked very suspicious. I was trailing them while Draco was upstairs. My French is worse than Draco's so I have no idea what they were talking about. When Draco came down though, the women noticed him, and they began talking very fast. They went to the wizard that Draco was trailing and spoke to him, told him something and left quickly out the front door" Tracey said, picking up from where Malfoy stopped.

"We couldn't come out the back door quickly because that would have drawn attention, so we had to wait for a moment until the back hallway was empty. I had a hunch that they might have been talking about Finnigan which is why I went to the outhouse as soon as I could" Malfoy finished.

Hermione took a moment to process what Malfoy had just said.

"But you wasted time. Maybe he was still alive" she said finally.

"Granger, there was no way to know who or what they were talking about. Besides, I didn't want to blow my cover" Malfoy said tightly.

"But obviously you did blow your cover. Tracey said those women saw you and said something. They knew you were not just a guest. So why did you waste time waiting for the hallway to empty?" she asked, her voice getting shrill.

"Granger be sensible, we had no way to know whether or not my cover was blown. I couldn't risk drawing attention to us" Malfoy replied, clearly thinking that Hermione was way out of line.

"But you wasted precious time doing that. Seamus… maybe he was alive. Maybe you could have saved him if you hadn't dawdled on the third floor and then again in the back hallway" Hermione had unconsciously gotten up and was facing Malfoy with her wand clutched in her hand.

"Granger, I did not know Finnigan was there. It was just a hunch, I wasn't going to risk a reconnaissance mission on a hunch. I wasn't the only person there, I had to think of Tracey and Blaise as well. Besides I couldn't risk an all-out battle in the middle of a suburban area" Malfoy too now stood, facing Hermione.

"Hermione, this isn't Malfoy's fault" Harry's voice came to Hermione.

"Yes, it is! He didn't do anything!" Hermione shouted, incapable of keeping her emotions in check.

"He didn't do anything, he could have saved Seamus, but he didn't do anything" she kept shouting.

"Granger…" Malfoy took a step forward.

"Hermione…" Harry got to his feet, Ron stumbling up after him.

"Stop it! Stop it! He could have done something, but he didn't. He didn't do anything he just stood there and watched. He just stood there, and he didn't do anything…" Hermione felt her knees give way from under her.

Harry practically leapt forward and grabbed her as she fell.

Then there was darkness.


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

Hermione had been awake for a while before she opened her eyes.

She remained lying on her bed at Cassandra house in Greece, replaying the events of the past few hours in her mind.

After collapsing and being carried to her room by Harry, Hermione had been forced to sleep. she was awoken at one point by Ron who had practically shoved half a chicken sandwich into her mouth before she fell asleep again.

She had no idea what time it was now. She had yet to open her eyes to see the time. However, by the steady sound of breathing coming from the side of the room, she knew she wasn't alone.

She let out a deep sigh and opened her eyes.

It was not quite dark in her room, so she hazarded that it was around six pm in the evening.

This meant that she had been sleeping the entire day.

"What time is it Harry?" she asked with her eyes trained on the ceiling.

"How did you know it was me?" her best friend asked.

"Ron would have said something by now, he doesn't have the gift of quiet patience. And you two are the only one's brave enough to sit in my room while I'm asleep" she replied, still looking at the ceiling.

Harry chuckled.

"That's true" he said ruefully "How do you feel?"

"Alright" Hermione replied softly.

"Hermione I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Seamus and I'm sorry that you had to see him like that. He was a good friend and a brave man. We shouldn't have lost him" Harry said bleakly.

"It's not your fault Harry" Hermione said "But, yes we shouldn't have lost him like that".

A tear leaked out of her eye and rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry too. For the way I acted. I should have been stronger" she continued.

"No one's blaming you for that 'mione. It's natural to feel grief. You, me, Ron, Seamus, we've been together a long time" Harry said gently.

"I know it's just… I guess some part of me always believed that after we won the war, the killing and death would be over. We survived that war, we fought, and we survived. It just doesn't seem fair" Hermione struggled to keep from crying.

"It's not fair" Harry agreed, getting up from his chair and coming over to the bed. He perched on the edge near her head and kept a soothing hand on her forehead.

"Since the war, no one has died" she said softly.

It was true. There had been injuries; sometimes horrendous ones on the field, but no deaths, for almost ten years.

"I know. We've managed to be quite lucky until now" Harry replied.

They were silent for some minutes while Hermione closed her eyes again.

"Malfoy is a little upset" Harry said hesitantly after a while "I mean, not just because of Seamus"

Hermione's eyes snapped open.

"Why?" she asked.

"Um… you don't remember what you said to him before you fainted?" Harry asked, removing his hand from her forehead and peering down at her.

Hermione felt her eyes roll fractionally.

"Yes, I was angry that he hadn't been quicker to find Seamus, that's hardly something for him to be so upset about" she replied.

"Hermione, you accused him of just standing there and watching without doing anything" Harry said slowly.

Hermione froze as her words came back to her.

"Hermione…" Harry began soothingly.

"No Harry" Hermione cut in.

She paused a minute, weighing what she had said.

"I'm not going to apologise for what I said because it's true. Perhaps this wasn't the time for it but… he's here all the time Harry. Each time I see him, I remember him standing there watching Bellatrix torture me. I realise it now. How much anger I have towards him, even though he's changed, even though he may be a different person now" she said finally.

"Hermione, he was a child. Voldemort had taken over his home, his family. I would bet anything that he's seen horrors we can't even imagine, in his own house" Harry said.

"We were children too Harry" Hermione replied softly.

"Yes, we were. But we had different upbringings, we had support and love and we had each other" Harry dragged his hand through the tangled mess of her hair as he spoke.

"He brought you home you know" Harry continued.

"What?" Hermione asked, her face scrunching in confusion.

"At that escort agency building. When you collapsed. He caught you. He didn't let you go until we came home. He held you while you screamed your guts out" Harry continued to rub her head as she spoke.

Hermione was silent.

"Look, I'm not saying you should forget what happened and become his best friend or anything. But for _your_ sake and _your_ sanity, you need to let it go. You need to forgive him and move on" the logic of Harry's words reached Hermione and she knew she would listen to him.

Ultimately.

Some day.

"And what about this?" Hermione pulled up the sleeve of her jumper, revealing the scar "I can't forget this, or ignore it, or move on from it" she huffed "Every time I decide what to wear in the morning, it's what I think about first".

Harry sighed.

"I'll never be able to wear the kind of dress Tracey was wearing yesterday with this" Hermione continued, her eyes unfocused as she mentioned the random fact.

Harry let out a soft chuckle.

"Oh, I see what the problem is" he leaned forward and covered her scar with his hand "Hermione, if you're worried about your sex appeal, I can assure you that it's in full swing. Trust me, you don't even need to wear a dress like that. Not that you should even be concerned about attention from the male of the species, but I can list right now, off the top of my head, twelve guys who want to ask you out"

"What?" Hermione laughed, temporarily shaken out of her stupor.

"It's true. You have no idea how many utter creeps me and Ron have had to keep away from you. I was actually happy when you started dating Stewart; thought that job was over" Harry said laughing.

"Liar" Hermione sat up and hit Harry over the head with a pillow.

"I am not lying. Hermione you're beautiful. I can pull a potato sack over your head and there'd still be those twelve guys lined up for a date" Harry said ducking the pillow.

"You're terrible" Hermione huffed.

"Happy to oblige" Harry said, smoothly sliding off her bed "When you're ready, come down to the study. I'll outline our plan for you".

"Right" Hermione replied "Thank you Harry"

Harry pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and kissed the top of her head.

He peered at her one more time before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Hermione sat on her bed and stared after him.

She wasn't ready to process Seamus's death. Right now, she needed to clear her head and prepare for whatever lay ahead.

She would mourn later. When she could do the memory of her friend justice.

After a rousing shower, Hermione wandered slowly into the main hall of the house. It was empty and so she kept on walking.

Almost unconsciously, she walked right past the study and out the back door onto the porch that wrapped around the entire house. The cul-de-sac where Cassandra House was located, was on a type of knoll. This meant that from the back porch, the town of Megara could be seen on a lower plain. Lights twinkled here and there from houses below her and there was a soft breeze.

Hermione took a deep breath as she steadied herself against the railing.

"Granger"

The voice of Draco Malfoy was low and hesitant.

Hermione could place him at the far end of the porch without turning to look, so she didn't.

"Malfoy" she replied staring straight ahead at the twinkling lights.

She wasn't going to begin the conversation. If he had something to say, he could say it.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Finnigan and… I'm sorry that you think I wasted time getting to him" he said after a pause.

"Right" she replied tersely.

"I fail to see however, why you seem to think all of this is my fault" he continued mildly.

"I don't think this is all your fault. It's all our fault. We haven't figured anything out yet. We haven't caught anyone or stopped anything" she replied.

"We have another location. The tip off came from the Greek ministry. Potter plans to raid tomorrow" Malfoy said.

Hermione didn't reply.

Moments passed in silence.

"Thank you. For bringing me back here after… you know" Hermione said, her voice softening.

Malfoy didn't reply for the space of a few minutes.

"Granger… what you said… in the hall" he began and stopped.

Hermione finally turned to look at him squarely but said nothing.

He was standing stiffly, arms crossed over his chest, head bent, face frowning. A heavy breeze rustled his robes.

"You were talking about what happened at Malfoy Manor" he continued, not meeting her gaze.

"Yes, I suppose I was" Hermione said, leaning her hip on the railing, crossing her own arms across her chest.

He looked up at her then and the confusion and weariness in his eyes took her by surprise. Was he actually worried about her feelings? Or did he not know what had happened to her? The idea was preposterous. He watched the whole episode.

"You blame me" he said by way of a statement.

"Yes. I do blame you Malfoy. You just stood there…" she trailed off, Harry's words coming back to her.

"I understand the position you were in. We were all scared and we were so young" she said turning back to look at the lights below them "but I guess I've always felt that the reason you didn't do anything that day was because you thought I didn't deserve to be saved. Or at least that I wasn't worth you going against your aunt" she finished softly.

Malfoy didn't say anything, and Hermione assumed he was allowing her words to sink in.

She sighed and turned to go back inside.

"I can't apologise for what happened that day Granger" Malfoy spoke just as she reached for the door handle.

She stopped and turned back to him.

He looked at her.

"I can't apologise because that won't erase anything. There was a point in my life when I believed in everything my father said, about blood supremacy. I wanted to make him proud. By the time you and Potter and Weasley were dragged into the Manor though, the only thing I wanted was for it all to just stop. I wanted my home back and my parents back. You assume incorrectly if you think that I watched what happened to you with any kind of joy or out of any sense of superiority. I watched out of numb despair"

Malfoy continued to gaze steadily at her as he spoke.

"I just wanted it all to stop. You think I could have fought my aunt to save you" Malfoy shook his head, his eyes glazing over for a minute "I was too far gone by then for that. I had seen too much. Fighting for anything was beyond me at that point. If I could go back in time… maybe I would have fought… or maybe not but I do know that what you're thinking I should have done ten years ago, was impossible for me".

His eyes snapped back to hers.

"I know you have a scar. Aunt Bella used a cursed blade. The dark magic in it reacts to the magic in your blood. As long as there is magic in your body, the scar will not fade" he said, his gaze faltering momentarily.

"I know" Hermione replied.

"Harry was right" she said dryly "We were all children in the war".

She looked into his eyes for a few minutes more before turning once more back to the door.

"You are worth saving" Malfoy spoke behind her again.

Hermione paused with her hand on the door handle.

"What changed from then to now Malfoy?" she asked, her eyes on the door.

"I did" he replied.

She looked over her shoulder at him with his eyes narrowed.

Malfoy sighed and dropped his shoulders in defeat.

"I began to see things as they are rather than as I was taught to see them. You are an amazing witch Granger. I find that I admire you immensely".

Hermione's hand dropped from the door handle and her head jerked back in surprise.

"So, I am worth saving now?" she asked, half not expecting a reply.

Malfoy shrugged.

"I'm sure you were worth saving then too. I just hadn't understood it" he replied.

"But now" he continued, stepping back and leaning against the railing, looking out over the twinkling lights, "now, I would fight aunt Bella to save you".


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

Draco Malfoy was late.

This was something that almost never happened.

Ever since he was young, Draco had had the virtue of punctuality drilled into him by his punctilious parents. That and a whole host of other etiquette-based traits that had become second nature to him.

Of course, how to compose oneself after declaring to a muggle born witch that you would have fought a half-deranged mad woman, who was also coincidentally your aunt, on her behalf, was a topic that had not been covered during those teaching moments.

It's not that Draco had been facetious when he had said it; in fact, he had meant every word. It was just that now, he somehow felt that he had overplayed his hand before he could wrap his head around what he had made up his mind to do.

The air had been charged with something hitherto unknown to him, after he had said those words.

Granger's face had shown a remarkable range of emotions, one after the other, before settling on a gentle half-smile which she gave him before she had turned to leave.

What had really unnerved him however, was the fact that instead of leaving, Granger had turned around again, walked over, wrapped her arms around him and given him a brief hug.

He had frozen on the spot and had stood stiffly stock still while she had done that and then turned and left.

Intelligent though he might be, Draco had no idea why she had done that or what she had meant by it.

He also had no idea what that meant for what he had made up his mind to do.

Draco shook himself slightly as he feverishly laced up his boots and took stock of what it was that he had come to.

He, Draco Malfoy, last in the long line of pureblood Malfoy's, heir to the Malfoy legacy, had somehow, entirely unconsciously, and inexplicably become attracted to a muggle born witch.

He didn't know whether it was because of her raw magical power, her vulnerability, her intelligence, her expressive face, the fire in her amber eyes or the sheer grace with which she moved, or a combination of all the above factors but whatever it was, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

He supposed he first felt drawn to her when she displayed just how powerful she was at Whitford Manor. Then again when they had talked at the museum, surrounded by her beloved books. He was more fascinated than annoyed when she had forcibly apparated both of them cross-country just after a battle. And then, just yesterday, she had fallen into his arms and he had felt as if the top of his head had blown open.

Draco was never one for the big emotions, or at least not in expressing them so boldly. But when Granger had begun screaming in grief and pain at the loss of her friend, when she had collapsed under the sheer weight of her emotion, he had felt like his own heart was being wrested from his body. He felt like he would have done anything to take her pain away.

Thus, Draco Malfoy had, with the gnawing feeling that he was indeed going completely insane, made up his mind to do something about it.

Just what, he didn't know as of yet.

As far as muggle dating habits went, Draco was clueless. Added to this was the fact that he was ninety nine percent sure that she would laugh in his face and refuse scornfully if he were to ask her on a date.

Therefore, his immediate plan of action was just to get to know her, perhaps become a friend and see if an opportunity for anything more popped up.

He hoped against hope that such an opportunity would arise once this case was wrapped up and Granger had had time to grieve for her friend. He, most definitely would not encroach on her sadness.

Draco straightened up and adjusted his robes. Shaking the hair off his face, trying to get the memory of the painful conversation he had just had with the younger Ms. Greengrass out of his head, he secured his wand in its holster and made his way to the main hall of Cassandra house.

Draco may have been a Death Eater in a previous life but in this one, he was nothing if not honourable.

After his conversation with Granger, he had realised that there was no way in which he could go ahead with his betrothal.

So, after Granger had left and after a briefing in the study, which had felt like a bit of a blur, Draco had come to his room and flooed Astoria.

He winced as parts of the conversation came unbidden to his mind.

 _"What utter rot are you spouting Draco?" Astoria screeched._

 _"It's not rot Astoria and I can't stress how miserably sorry I am to put you in this position" Draco had said placatingly._

 _"What position?" Astoria asked._

 _Draco sighed. This was more difficult than he had imagined. It would be easier if Astoria would just accept the fact that he was breaking off their engagement._

 _"I can't marry you. I'm sorry" he said, for what felt like the tenth time._

 _"But why in Merlin's name not?" she asked._

 _"Because I feel that I cannot in good conscience marry you when I feel very strongly that we are mismatched and that I would not be able to do right by you" he had answered._

 _"You must have gone mad Draco. What do you mean mismatched? We've been engaged for several months and only now you're realizing that we're mismatched?" Astoria asked._

 _"Astoria please…" Draco had said, trying to inject some calm into the conversation._

 _"There's someone else isn't there? It's her, that woman who's always following you around" Astoria's voice had gotten low with fury._

 _"Who on earth are you talking about?" Draco had asked nonplussed._

 _"That Davies. I knew something was up when you kept disappearing into your study with her and gallivanting with her all over the globe" Astoria hissed._

 _"Astoria, you are wildly mistaken. Tracey is my colleague. We work together, that's all" Draco had answered exasperatedly._

 _"You lie Draco. Nothing would have convinced you to break off our engagement except another woman. I can't believe you. The great Malfoy heir, fallen to the wiles of a half-blood" Astoria spat._

 _"You shouldn't call her that. Tracey is an exceptional witch. And I assure you, I have not fallen for the wiles of anyone" Draco had said, his own annoyance rising._

 _"What in Merlin's name has gotten into you then? First you wanted to work with all sorts of wizards who are far beneath you, in your little defence company instead of carrying on your father's business like you should have and now you're defending them?" Astoria asked._

 _"If by them you mean my colleagues then yes I am defending them. I work with a lot of half-bloods and muggle-borns and they're all good people; good wizards and witches, of course I would defend them" Draco had said, getting up off the chair he was sitting in, in front of the fireplace._

 _"Draco Malfoy, now you listen here. I don't care what you dabble in, in your spare time, nor who you choose to associate with as long as you don't bring them into our home. I'll be damned if I let you break off our engagement and make me the laughing stock of all wizarding society just because you've lost your mind and fallen for a filthy half-blood or a mudblood or whoever. I refuse to break our engagement" Astoria had turned her nose up._

 _"You can't do that Astoria. You can't force me to marry you" Draco had replied, his anger draining._

 _"Fine. I know what. I'll get my father to speak to you and to Narcissa. Then we'll see what happens". With a flourish of green flames, Astoria's head was gone._

Draco had hung his head for a few minutes, wiling away a newly realised headache, and then he had sat down and composed a polite letter to Mr. Greengrass, apologizing but in no uncertain terms, breaking off his engagement.

He had also informed his mother.

Pausing in his slow jog to rub a hand over his forehead to clear the unwelcome memories, Draco finally walked into the main hall.

Everyone had gathered, garbed in full battle gear.

The Greek ministry had come through finally and had given them the location of what they believed to be the headquarters of the Masters, a little beyond the city of Megara. The area they were going into now was rural in nature and sparsely populated. Additionally, the compound which they were getting ready to raid was said to be completely warded. Draco, Potter and Granger were looking at a difficult de-warding.

Five of Draco's best defence agents had been called in from various missions. They were also joined by ten aurors from the Greek ministry. Potter was leading the mission and Weasley and Theo were mission control. As he walked in, Theo and Weasley were standing in front of an enchanted map on the wall, outlining the raid.

As he walked in, Draco's eyes sought out and found Granger, standing near Potter, listening to the mission outline. Her long brown hair was in a single thick plait down her back. She was dressed in head to toe black, with a heavy robe with a hood fastened at her neck with a shiny silver phoenix broach. Ten members of their team, including Draco were wearing the same cloak.

Given that someone had obviously noticed and recognised Draco, they had decided that a few of them should wear hoods to cover their heads as Draco was most recognisable by his signature platinum hair. They were to be identified by the broach as it was presumed that the Masters wore robes with hoods as well.

She glanced over at him as he entered and gave him a quick smile.

He nodded in return and turned his attention to Weasley who was now detailing emergency exit plans.

After a quick word with Potter about de-warding procedures and brief introductions to the Greek team, they were off.

They flooed into a wizarding home near the suspected building and filed out in small clusters to walk to the compound which was a little way off down the road. Draco was grouped with Tracey, Potter, Granger and two of the Greek aurors. They were first down the road as they were tasked with breaking through the wards. Before they left, Granger had walked around tapping everyone on the head with her wand, activating a disillusionment charm.

The compound had a high hedge surrounding it and large wrought iron gates like the ones at the Manor. Beyond the gates, Draco could make out a large structure, much like the Manor but styled in the manner of Grecian architecture.

As soon as they arrived, the group spread out and began work.

Draco moved his wand over and over, breaking through various wards. As he worked, he could feel the others working their way through the layers of magic as well. After a few moments of work, Draco felt as though he had hit a wall, a ward he did not recognise. To his left, he heard Potter mutter a curse.

Pushing his hair off his face, Draco looked to his right. Tracey was still working but beyond her, Granger had stopped. Her wand hung limply by her side while her head was cocked to the side and she appeared to be thinking. Potter moved to his side, looking past him at Granger.

"Do you think she can get through?" Draco asked.

"If anyone can, it'd be 'mione. It's some sort of foreign ward. Not something I've ever seen" Potter replied.

Granger flicked her wand a few times experimentally before straightening up and pushing her wand sleeve up. She pointed steadily at the hedge without saying a word.

Suddenly there was a streak of blue light that ran the perimeter of the compound.

"Bollocks!" Potter exclaimed.

However, the wards appeared to have come down as Granger reached out and touched the hedge.

"I'm sorry" she shouted "it's the only way to disable that. It's a French ward".

Without replying, Potter had taken off at a gallop inside the compound as the others followed. Just as they entered the iron gates, they were besieged from either side.

There were dozens upon dozens of black robe clad wizards shooting hexes at them from.

Potter stalled for a second to send out his patronus to Weasley about the attack before joining the melee.

It was utter chaos. From his peripheral vision, Draco could see members of their team apparating in from various sides, joining the attack.

Narrowing his eyes and seeking out a target, Draco threw a quick petrificus totalus, a binding spell and stooped to slap an activated portkey on the wizard's face, in one smooth movement, while his eyes roved for his next target. They had decided that sending the prisoners to a safe secured location was the best course of action given that they were prone to apparating out.

Tracey and Granger were tackling a group of wizards on the left and even as Draco glanced, Granger felled two wizards at a time, leaped over another and slapped portkeys onto the fallen ones. Parts of her hair that had broken free of the constraints of her plait were standing on end, cackling with the energy flowing from her magic.

Draco looked forward quickly as he fought to keep the line that he, Potter, Granger, Tracey and the other two Greek aurors were holding as they moved steadily into the compound.

What felt like an aeon later, Draco fell into a little alcove that covered the entrance. He rolled behind a pillar and examined the damage on his person. Cuts and scrapes, plus some dark spell on his calf which was making it numb. He was not too worried.

Seconds later, one of the Greek aurors joined him, Potter close behind.

"Alex broke his kneecaps, I told him to apparate out" Potter panted, bent over with his hands on his knees.

"Where's Granger? And Tracey?" Draco asked.

Potter indicated just as a blur of brown fell into the alcove.

"Tracey… apparated out… injured…" Granger panted, pushing hair out of her face.

"Did you notice that some of them don't seem to feel the spells we send at them? She asked after a moment, clutching her side.

"I did" the Greek auror replied.

Draco considered this but hadn't noticed anything strange. He looked out into the front yard once more before indicating inside.

"Do we go on?" he asked Potter.

Potter glanced briefly at Granger before replying "Yes".

With a quick nod, Draco pushed open the door and pointed his wand.

They moved inside slowly and silently.

The house was fairly bare. No knickknacks on the mantlepiece, no foot stools or side tables, just the essential pieces of furniture. Apart from the sound of battle outside, there seemed to be no sound coming from inside the house.

"We stick to the plan" Potter muttered in a low voice "We secure each room, look for prisoners and clear out".

He indicated with his hand where he wanted each pair to go.

At Potter's gesture, Draco and Granger moved down the hall and up the stairs while Potter and the Greek auror moved down a hallway leading to the right wing of the house.

Draco followed Granger up the stairs wearily, eyes darting from side to side on the lookout for any movement.

Suddenly, a flash of red light.

Someone had thrown a stunning spell from around the corner of the upstairs hallway. Granger immediately stiffened and lifted her wand, shifting slightly so that Draco could cover her rear. As soon as they rounded the corner, Draco faced opposite to her, so that they were standing back to back in the defence position.

There were three wizards in a little seating area in front of large double doors leading to the west wing of the house.

Draco and Granger attacked simultaneously, throwing hexes with almost equal speed. But, Draco noticed that strangely, the spells were not affecting them as they should be and some even bounced harmlessly off of them.

He kept attacking ceaselessly though, making a mental note to discuss this with Granger later.

Just when he thought they were never going to take these wizards down, Granger leaned to the right and sent off a spell so strong that Draco felt the heat of it on the back of his neck.

One wizard fell while the others apparated out. Making sure that his hood was still firmly on his head, Draco moved closer to press a portkey onto the wizard's body when the sound of Potter shouting made him stop short.

"It's coming from the side" Granger said as she darted towards the stairs.

"Granger wait" Draco shouted bending again to place the portkey.

"Malfoy, I need your …"

Draco glanced up sharply just in time to see Granger on the bottom step being grabbed by a black robed, hooded wizard.

And then she was gone.


	30. Chapter Thirty

Admittedly, this had never happened to him before, but at this precise moment, Draco Malfoy felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over him.

One minute Hermione Granger had been standing a few feet away from him and the next minute she was not.

A black robed wizard had apparated in, grabbed her and apparated out.

"GRANGER"

The words came out in a roar that not even Draco recognised.

He tumbled down the stairs sending red sparks from his wand. They were only supposed to use the red sparks if there was a dire emergency during the mission, which Draco felt was right now.

Granger had disappeared, and she was with him when it happened. When in pairs, they were supposed to look out for each other.

"Damn it! Potter where the fuck are you?" Draco yelled as he tore though the house.

"Malfoy, what happened?" Potter's face appeared over a banister from the second floor of the East wing.

"Granger. They've got Granger. I don't know where. A wizard grabbed her and apparated" Draco said in a rush.

"Bollocks" Potter exclaimed.

His face disappeared from the banister and a second later, Draco heard him running down a staircase.

He came into view around a corner, with Alex the Greek auror right behind him.

"We need to leave. They could be anywhere. We need to start looking. We should alert every wizard within a ten-mile radius to keep an eye out for…" Draco said beginning to walk towards the door.

The rest of his words were drowned out however, by the sudden arrival of Weasley, Theo, and three of Malfoy's own team.

"What happened? We saw the sparks" Weasley said.

"They have Hermione" Potter said.

Weasley's face blanched and even Theo took a step back.

"We're wasting bloody time. I'm leaving" Draco said in utter frustration before turning once again to leave.

"Where are you off to mate? No one's apparated off the premises. It's fully warded" Weasley said.

"Yes. Calm yourself Draco" Theo looked at him strangely before continuing "Even if someone were powerful enough to break through about twenty wards placed by us and the Greek aurors, we'd still feel it. So far, no one has left" he said.

Draco let out a sigh of relief, although anxiety was racking up his spine as he spoke.

"Alright. Fine. Then we search the premises. She's been gone for about eight minutes now and we know what these people are capable of so let's move" Draco said taking a deep breath.

"I'll go with Alex and Ron. Malfoy take Theo and the three of you go together. We split the compound into three sections, starting from the East garden and work our way in. Malfoy and Theo, stick to the centre" Potter directed.

This was a good thing because Malfoy doubted he was in the correct frame of mind to direct anyone. At present, he was being eaten up with guilt.

Granger had taken down and secured more prisoners than he had. She was quicker on the draw and her spells were unbelievably powerful. It was his job to have her back and he failed.

Draco let out a curse and drove his fist into the nearest wall.

"Hey hey. Get it together Malfoy. This is Hermione we're talking about. She's a tough witch. She's probably giving her kidnappers hell right about now" Potter said with a clap on Draco's shoulder.

Draco nodded curtly, ignoring the pain shooting up his knuckles.

Distantly, Draco also noticed that the numbness in his right calf had increased. He could now not feel anything between his ankle and his knee. He felt like he was walking on a stilt. He tossed this realisation out the window however, as he and Theo rushed to begin their search.

Draco was like a man possessed as he searched and secured room after room, hallway after hallway. They had found a few dark wizards, who had quickly been stunned and portkeyed to the interrogation rooms at the Greek ministry.

He let out a yell of frustration as they came into sight of Potter and Weasley who had obviously been unsuccessful as well.

"It's been almost an hour" Potter said a little out of breath "We've searched everywhere. Are we sure no ones breached the wards?" he asked.

"Yes" Theo and Draco announced together.

"There must be an underground basement or some other outhouse building on these fields that we don't know about" this was Thomas, one of Draco's agents who had just come up from the West of the compound.

"Without knowing where anything is it's almost impossible to search" Potter said.

Suddenly, a streak of red light flew past Draco's head and hit Adrian, another of Draco's agents.

Before he knew what he was doing, Draco had turned and was charging towards the black robed wizard who had just attacked them. Blocking each of the stunning spells sent his way with vicious flicks of his wand, Draco marched right up to him and grabbed him by his robes. Using his remaining strength, Draco then pushed the wizard into the wall and leaned his forearm against the wizard's throat.

Distantly, he could hear Potter and Theo shouting after him.

Ignoring their calls, Draco pointed his wand at the bald-headed wizard.

 _Legilimens_

"Draco no" Potter shouted.

"That's illegal you numpty" Weasley was saying.

Draco drowned them all out and focused all his attention on combing through the wizard's mind.

There was a lot of information that Draco was getting but that he couldn't make any sense of. What he was looking for though were memories of the layout of the compound. He felt the strength of the spell fading as he finally found what he was looking for.

Pulling out of the wizard's mind, Draco slumped against the wall to take a breath while Weasley and Theo rushed to bind the prisoner.

"There are two outhouses. Both at the edge of the field. West" he said straightening.

Potter gave him a supremely annoyed look.

"I'll deal with you later" he said grumpily "Let's go".

Draco pushed off the wall and joined the others racing down the green lawn, away from the house. Draco reasoned that it must have been mid-day by the position of the sun. They had obviously battled for quite some time.

Finally, two small constructions came into view. One looked like a small cottage and one like a barn. Draco headed towards the barn while Potter, Weasley and two of his agents ran into the cottage.

Draco tried the door. It was not locked but it would not open.

" _Alohomora_ "

The door didn't budge. Next to him, Theo was already testing for wards.

"This one's clear" Potter said coming out of the cottage.

"Come on come on COME ON" Draco raged, rattling the handle of the door.

"There are no wards" Theo said, his voice full of wonder.

"He's right" Potter had his wand out as well "No wards".

" _Confringo_ " Draco yelled pointing his wand at the door.

Nothing.

"How do we break down a door with no wards?" Weasley asked, voice fraught with desperation.

Suddenly, like a lighthouse beacon, it came to him.

"There is a ward" he said quietly, pointing his wand at his left palm "A blood ward"

Draco hardly flinched as his _Diffindo_ sliced open his palm and blood began to pour from the open wound.

He pressed his bleeding palm onto the door and sent out a non-verbal _Alohomora_.

The door sprang open.

In the centre of the room stood a tall woman.

She was standing over Granger who looked to be unconscious.

The woman was holding an iridescent medallion of some sort in her hand.

Draco barely had time to register the woman's long platinum blond hair and the shocked expression on her face at his entrance, before she took a step back, narrowed her eyes at him and apparated with a loud 'pop'.

There was a wailing shriek as the wards around the perimeter were breached.

Draco did not notice any of that.

He rushed into the room and fell at the unconscious witch's side.

Forgetting the fact that he was still bleeding profusely and ignoring all the shouting coming from behind him, Draco gathered her up and pushed the hair out of her face.

Granger's eyes were closed, and she was completely still.

Hands shaking, Draco fumbled to feel her pulse and felt his shoulders sag when he found it.

Getting painfully to his feet, with Granger clutched to his chest, Draco twirled on the spot and apparated out.


	31. Chapter Thirty One

The past hour or so had seemed like a blur to Draco Malfoy.

After picking Granger up he had brought her directly to Cassandra house where a makeshift infirmary had been set up in case of injury during the raid. The ballroom set on the lowest level of the house had been cleared of all its furniture and beds had been set up in a row.

A team of medi-wizards and witches including Ernie McMillan had set up their equipment and were healing those who had come in with injuries when Draco had suddenly apparated right into their midst.

There was a shout of concern and panicked rushing and all at once, Granger had been wrested from him and set on one of the beds. The healers had begun their diagnostics immediately while McMillan had fired questions at Draco.

Draco had stood at the foot of her bed and given answers as well as his tired brain could form them.

McMillan had blanched when Draco had said that the medallion had apparently been used on her. However, the healer performing diagnostics had soon declared that Granger's vitals were strong although she was unconscious.

Draco had fidgeted near her bed, hardly even noticing that Weasley, Theo, Potter and others who had gone for the raid had returned and had come to inquire about Granger. Finally, he had been forcibly pushed out of the room and told to get some rest.

Muttering curses under his breath, Draco had finally limped painfully to his room, intending to shower and find some food.

Unfortunately, his room now resembled an owl menagerie rather than some pure-blood wizards sleeping quarters. Owl droppings were everywhere and no less than five owls were perched on various surfaces.

"Bloody hell" Draco had murmured before being surrounded by angry, hungry owls.

He opened the letter brought by his mother's owl first and took a deep breath before beginning to read.

 _My dearest Draco,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. I am keeping myself busy re-organising the greenhouse and tending to the Rose garden. The Parkinsons were over just yesterday and Myrtle said she had never seen anything quite like my white rose path. It is quite the success._

 _My dear boy, I understand you are working right now and that you must be rather busy. However, I must insist that we discuss the topic of your engagement. Just before I read your letter, Astoria came over to the Manor quite distressed. Although she told me you broke your engagement, I refused to accept it and thought that you must have had a row or that you must have been tired or even that she must have misunderstood you completely. I was quite shocked when I read your letter._

 _Astoria seems to believe that you have somehow gotten involved with Tracey Davies or some other disreputable witch. I told her that was preposterous; Malfoy's always honour their word above all else, and in this matter, I believe that you are above reproach._

 _However, I must insist that you give me a reasonable enough explanation as to why you must break this engagement. The Greengrasses are a wonderful, upstanding family, worthy of alliance with the Malfoy's._

 _Astoria is a lovely girl, very beautiful. I understand that she may be a tad dull, but I feel that this is a small price to pay for an exceedingly suitable match._

 _Might I not convince you to reconsider? I do not need to remind you the position we were in over the past years. This marriage would do much to change that. I know that you have worked hard to regain whatever reputation we had lost during the war and I respect your need to make your own decisions. However, I do urge you not to take this decision lightly, as I can assure you that the Greengrases will not._

 _Expect to hear from Fredrick Greengrass soon. I fear that he will not let you off quietly, if you do intend to break the engagement._

 _Please think hard my son. For your sake and mine._

 _All my love,_

 _Mother._

Draco had growled, crumpled up the letter and thrown it onto the small table beside his bed. He then picked up the letter from Astoria's father, Fredrick Greengrass.

 _Malfoy,_

 _What is this nonsense Astoria is saying? I will not allow you to break my little girls heart. If you are a man of your word, you will stand by it._

 _Expect to hear from you soon._

 _Fredrick._

Draco sighed. How could he make them all understand that he was doing this because he was a man of his word? He had no desire to deceive Astoria and even less to marry her.

The next one was from Astoria who had written long paragraphs; her tone ranging from angry to plaintive and insulting. Ultimately, she had threatened that should Draco go ahead and break the engagement, that she would somehow make him regret it.

The last two letters were from his solicitor. They were brief and to the point.

 _Mr. Malfoy,_

 _Your mother informs me that you wish to break your engagement with Ms. Greengrass. Is this true? Have you signed any magically binding contract?_

 _Leonard Munch_

The second one was even more concise.

 _Mr. Malfoy,_

 _Fredrick Greengrass may want to sue. Floo me._

 _Leonard Munch_

Draco had thrown both letters away, shooed the owls out the window and warded it against any more. He was in the middle of Scourgifying his bedroom when there was a short knock and Theo walked in.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?" he asked taking in the owl droppings and feathers.

"I've had a lot of post" Draco muttered, throwing away his wand and falling back on the bed.

Theo narrowed his eyes momentarily before dropping into a chair himself.

"So have I" he said, crossing his arms over his chest "Your mother is quite agitated".

Draco sighed from the bed and covered his eyes with his hand. He really didn't want to deal with all this now.

"Are you going to tell me why you broke your engagement?" Theo asked after a pause.

"There's nothing to tell really. I just didn't feel that it would work" Draco said.

"You just realised this now?" Theo asked, apparently following the same line of questioning Astoria had.

"Yes, I just realised this now. I don't see how that's so unbelievable" Draco huffed with growing irritation.

"So you're not enamoured with some other witch?" Theo asked mildly.

"No, of course not. That's just Astoria jumping to conclusions" Draco muttered.

Some minutes passed in silence.

"Not even say, a certain wild haired muggle born?" Theo asked, his tone forcibly light.

Draco sat up in bed and looked at Theo. Was he that transparent?

They stared at each other wordlessly.

Finally, Theo shrugged.

"I can't say I'm surprised. You two are remarkably matched" he said flatly.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Draco muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.

"You're both intelligent and driven" Theo continued.

"Shut up Nott" Draco said, although there was little force in his tone.

Theo sighed.

"It will be a hard sell though. Have you said anything to her?" he asked.

Draco merely stared back with an eyebrow raised.

"Right. Well, I have things to attend to" Theo said, getting up with a flourish "Potter wants to see you. He's in the small study on the third floor".

Theo walked to the door.

"How did you know?" Draco asked suddenly, curiosity getting the better of him.

Theo turned back with a smile.

"When was the last time Draco Malfoy rushed to help someone, without considering his own well-being?" he asked.

"Isn't that the trademark of a Slytherin?" he continued "self-preservation above all else?"

Draco looked back down.

"I've never seen quite that particular look on your face" Theo said "That you had when you picked her up in your arms" he clarified.

"Leave" Draco said, pushing himself off the bed and towards the bathroom.

Theo shrugged once and was gone.


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

Draco had a quick shower and a hasty dinner before limping his way to the small study on the third floor. While pushing painfully up the stairs, he thought for possibly the tenth time that he should get a healer to take a look at his leg. Although he was confident that there wasn't anything majorly wrong with his leg, it was causing him no little annoyance.

He knocked on the door of the study and waited.

"Come in" Potter sounded tired.

Draco entered and ambled over to the table.

Potter was sitting behind the desk with papers spread in front of him, most of them with the seal of the Auror department on their back. On the other side of the desk sat Weasley, leaning back with his gangly legs stretched out in front of him. He was toying with a paperweight and the drawn look on his face was quite unusual for him. Standing near the desk, was Ernie McMillan who too looked incredibly exhausted.

Potter opened his mouth, but Draco cut in.

"Before you begin, just know that I take full responsibility for the Legilimency. It was, I believe, the need of the moment. I stand by it. You can go ahead and charge me if you need to" he said in a rush.

Potter clamped his mouth shut and shot Draco a look of pure annoyance. Weasley's eyes merely shifted over to Draco, mildly inquiring, before moving back to the paperweight.

"I understand the need of the moment Malfoy. Believe it or not, I would have done anything to save my best friend too. The problem here is that you cannot perform unauthorized legilimency and definitely not on foreign ground" Potter said, taking off his spectacles and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And also, most definitely if you're not Hermione and you can't shield your presence from the mind of the person you're performing the spell on" Weasley chimed in, not taking his eyes off the charmed paperweight, which had now taken on the form of a gambolling hippogriff.

There was silence for the space of a few minutes.

"So, what happens now?" Draco asked.

"Nothing" Potter let out a sigh "Me, Ron and Theo won't press charges and I'm sure the guys from your team won't either. At the moment the wizard who's brain you invaded is in custody and sequestered. Because they are suspected to be involved in the murder of a British wizard, they're in our care so unless and until he gets hold of a law enforcement agent from Greece, you're safe" he finished.

Draco nodded stiffly. He supposed he should thank them for not making a huge fuss over it, but generations of Malfoy breeding kept him from performing that particular feat.

"How's Granger?" he asked looking over at McMillan.

"No change" he replied, looking up from a letter he had been perusing "Her vitals are strong, and we've got specialists performing diagnostics on her right now. She's still unconscious though".

McMillan narrowed his eyes at Draco.

"May I ask why you're limping?" he asked.

Draco shrugged.

"I got hit with something. It just got slightly numb. I guess I forgot to get it checked out with all that's been happening" he said, looking down at the offending limb.

"Merlin's beard Malfoy. you've been walking around with a numb leg for almost a day?" McMillan asked, placing the letter on the desk.

Draco shrugged again.

"I was thinking to get it looked at now" he said defensively.

"May I?" McMillan asked, indicating Draco's leg.

Draco looked over at Potter who nodded. He then sat down heavily on the chair beside Weasley. McMillan walked over and began to wave his wand over Draco's leg, murmuring spells as he did so. Beside him, Draco saw Weasley hide a yawn behind his hand and Potter was surreptitiously reading another letter on his table.

"Malfoy this is a paralytic. You've been hit with some sort of modified paralysing charm which is evidently making its way up your leg" McMillan said finally, his voice an octave higher than normal.

Potter's eyes snapped up. "Say what now? He's paralysed?"

Draco was rendered temporarily mute.

"No, not yet but he probably will be soon. I don't even know what this charm is" McMillan's eyes met Draco's "You need to come down now. I'll get one of the Greek healers to take a look. They've been excellent at identifying modified spells and charms".

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times but could not manage to make words come out. He had not, in a million years thought this was serious and, in all honesty, had completely forgotten about it until McMillan had asked about it just now.

Bloody hell.

"I'm going in now to get a report on Hermione. Come as soon as you're done here" McMillan said gathering his things and moving towards the door.

"What is wrong with you Malfoy?" Potter asked incredulously "You can't honestly say you didn't notice that something was wrong with your leg."

Draco opened his mouth yet again and closed it when he realised he didn't really have an adequate reply.

"Distracted by something mate?" Weasley asked, eyes still on the paperweight which had now turned into a unicorn.

"What?" Draco had finally rediscovered words.

Weasley laughed as he gave Draco a shrewd look before turning to face Potter.

"I think Malfoy here was a little too worried about our Hermione to even notice that his leg had stopped working" Weasley said, giving Potter a pointed look.

Potter furrowed his brow and looked from Weasley to Draco and then back to Weasley.

"No" he has, voice barely above a whisper.

Weasley tuned to Draco again and lifted a brow.

"I have no idea what you are talking about" Draco said through gritted teeth.

First Theo and now Potter and the Weasel. What was wrong with everybody? What was wrong with him? Was he _really_ that transparent? He had always prided himself on the fact that he could mask his true emotions and thoughts and yet, here were scores of people evidently reading his inner most thoughts as if he had them written all over his forehead.

"No" Potter said again. This time the incredulity had faded and was replaced by something resembling aversion.

"This is bound to ruffle some important feathers" Weasley chuckled.

"But you're engaged" Potter said.

"He's broken his engagement" Weasley said, his eyes calculating as they watched Draco intensely. Draco had never really appreciated how observant the youngest Weasley boy was. He did now.

How in the blazes had he… right… Tracey. Damnit.

"Blow me to Bermuda" Potter said, still in a state of shock.

Draco suddenly stood up, stumbling a bit as he swayed on his good leg.

He turned abruptly and made for the door, intent on ignoring the duo behind him. He vaguely heard Weasley suggest that they too go to the infirmary to visit Granger, but he kept on walking.

Draco stormed into the infirmary, equal parts angry and embarrassed.

McMillan nodded to him as he made his way to an empty bed a few paces away from where Granger was lying, surrounded by healers. A few minutes later, a healer came to his side and smiled tightly before he began diagnosing Draco's leg.

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco noticed Potter and Weasley enter the infirmary and move to stand on either side of Grangers bed as the healers continued their work.

"Mr. Malfoy" the healer kneeling by his leg spoke "This is a very advanced paralysing charm. You are very late in coming to us, I don't know if I can heal this".

"I'm sorry what? You can't stop the paralysis?" Draco asked, the panic in his system rising rapidly.

"I can stop it. But I can't give you feeling back in your leg" the healer replied.

"I won't be able to walk?" Draco asked in a whisper, deathly afraid of the answer.

"You can walk. There will be a slight limp and the feeling in your leg won't come back" the healer replied ruefully.

"Ever?" Draco asked.

"I cannot be sure. It may come back by itself, but it will take time. You will need to take some potions in the meantime" the healer said, his wand poised over Draco's leg.

Draco nodded tersely.

The healer worked on Draco's leg and he felt it going from hot to cold and back again several times before the healer stepped back and wiped his brow.

"I will bring you a list of potions you can take. I also suggest a cane, maybe. It might make walking a little easier" he said before turning to the table behind him.

Draco took a few deep calming breaths. He can walk. He just had a limp. Of course, he would get better. He wouldn't need a cane. No one walked with a cane. Except his father.

Draco felt slightly nauseous.

Suddenly Weasley let out a whoop.

Draco watched as Granger stirred but didn't open her eyes. The healer standing near her head was talking and a heated conversation appeared to be taking place between the healers.

Draco got up and ambled over to the bed.

"What's happening?" he asked Potter.

"They're insane, that's what's happening" Potter said shaking his head "They're saying Hermione's magic has receded.

"What?" Draco asked, his brow furrowing "That's not even possible".

"I know. They're wrong somehow" Potter said, determinedly.

"Oy McMillan" Draco called.

McMillan walked over to where they were standing. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

"They're not wrong guys. We've never seen anything like this before. Ordinarily, Hermione's magic reads off the scale but now, it has actually receded" he said.

"That's absurd McMillan. A wizard's magic is in their blood and unless Granger's been bled there's no way her magic could have receded" Draco said.

"Look, you said some woman was holding a medallion over Hermione's head, right? What if that's the device we've been looking for and its power is that it can take a wizard's magic?" McMillan asked.

"That's ridiculous mate. No one's ever done that" Weasley said, worry evident in his voice.

"Maybe the woman that you saw can do that. Maybe she can control the medallion" Potter said, his voice low with anticipation.

"But according to the Galanos book, she would have had to be a Malfoy to do that" Draco argued.

"She is"

Granger had opened her eyes and was looking at the three of them. Her face was pale and devoid of all colour. The light in her eyes had noticeably dimmed.

She swallowed and looked directly at Draco.

"Her name is Lucille. She's your father's step-sister. I guess the Malfoy line is not as pure as you thought"


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

Draco Malfoy didn't even notice that the hand which had been holding onto Hermione Granger's bed for support had lifted in response to her shocking announcement.

The recently concluded treatment on his right leg had left it slightly number than it was earlier however, and the sudden lack of support had him stumbling and reaching blindly for any purchase before he fell to the floor. With lightening quick reflexes, Potter's hand struck out and grabbed onto his upper arm before he hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" Granger's eyes had widened in concern.

It was Potter who replied.

"Can you all give us a moment please" he said gravely, letting go of Draco once the latter had gotten a firmer footing "I'd like to speak to Hermione, Ron and Malfoy privately".

The healers had then slowly moved away, Potter nodding to McMillan as he left.

" _Muffliato_ "

Draco limped heavily over to a chair that had been vacated by one of the elderly healers and fell into it.

"What's wrong?" Granger asked again.

"Never mind that" Weasley intercepted Draco, who was once again left with his mouth hanging open "what are you on about 'mione? That woman is a Malfoy?"

Granger sighed and passed a hand over her face. She leaned back down onto the pillows.

"I'll start from the beginning okay?" she asked.

Potter and Weasel both nodded, Potter dragging up another chair while Weasley perched on the edge of Grangers bed.

"The wizard who took me, apparated me straight to another room in the house. He put a body bind curse on me as soon as we stopped spinning and luckily my wand was in the holster, so I knew I still had it" Granger shifted slightly on the bed and Draco noticed that she looked tired and drawn, her voice low and strained, as if she had over exerted herself somehow.

"Anyway" she continued "then he sent out a patronus or I think it was a patronus; it was a non-corporeal one and he said the spell in Greek, so I don't know but a cloud of some shape left the room. We waited then until another one came back and then he apparated me into that barn you found me in" Granger stopped and swallowed.

Weasley jumped up then and poured her a glass of water, which she drank thirstily, still looking like she just ran cross-country although in reality she had been asleep for more than a day.

"The woman was there" Granger looked at Draco "she spoke to me in English, but it was a heavily accented English. Her native language is French".

Granger stopped here to take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I just feel so tired. Harry do you think you could get Ernie to take my memory? It will be so much easier if you could look at it in a pensieve" she said, leaning further back onto the pillows.

Potter looked at her critically for a few minutes before speaking.

"Yes, of course we could do that" he paused "Are you alright Hermione?"

"Yes. I should be fine. I'm just tired" she seemed to be falling asleep even as she spoke.

Potter nodded at Weasley, who got up to find McMillan.

"Malfoy could do it too" Potter said, glancing at Draco "he used Legilimency on one of the prisoners to find you".

"Malfoy that's illegal" she said, turning her tired eyes back to him.

"You're one to talk" he muttered back.

She looked at him for a moment curiously before her face softened.

"Thank you for finding me. I would prefer Ernie to do the extraction though because we don't know the extent of damage done to my magic yet" she said, lowering her eyes slightly.

Draco shrugged. He perfectly understood that she would be uncomfortable with him inside her head. It didn't offend him in the least. What he didn't understand was why she was talking about damage to her magic. It was utterly impossible that her magic had receded. It was much more plausible that the healers were barmy, and she was just tired.

Mcmillan arrived then and spoke quietly to Granger before moving close to extract the memory. Almost as soon as the silvery substance was deposited in a vial, Granger slumped down on the bed and appeared to fall asleep.

Potter, Weasley and Draco all jerked forward at her sudden collapse.

"Not to worry" McMillan muttered, waving his wand over her "She's fine, just sleeping".

He handed the vial to Potter and left, still muttering over a chart.

"Right" Potter was all business again "Is there a pensieve somewhere?" he asked Draco.

"In a cupboard in the small study" Draco replied, eyes still on Granger.

She didn't seem any different. She looked peacefully asleep.

"Let's go then" Weasley said, turning to leave, Potter following his lead.

Draco struggled to his feet and realised that he would not be able to get to the third floor anytime soon on his leg which might as well have been chopped off by now, as he couldn't feel it at all.

Groaning in frustration, he transfigured a simple cane out of the chair he was sitting on and tested it gingerly before setting off. To his utter dismay, he found that the cane actually did make it easier for him to walk.

Potter and Weasley both raised their eyebrows at him questioningly when he hobbled into the study, approximately ten minutes after them.

"The healer said it would make walking easier" Draco muttered angrily.

"It suits you Malfoy" Weasley said mockingly while bringing the pensieve over to a side table with his wand.

Draco narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. He was much more concerned about what he was about to see in the pensieve.

Before he knew it, he was standing beside Potter and Weasley inside the barn.

Granger was standing stock still a few feet away from them, evidently still in her body bind. A woman was seated on a chair near the wall, wearing a long heavy black cloak with the hood pulled up, covering her face.

At Granger's arrival, the woman stood up and lowered her hood as she walked slowly and deliberately up to the young witch.

Draco did a small double take as the woman's face came into view. She had long straight platinum blond hair, unnervingly reminiscent of his fathers. Her eyes were slate grey. They were narrowed at the moment as she closed in on Granger like a hunter honing in on his prey.

The woman walked right up to Granger and appraised her slowly.

Draco felt a slow sense of dread crawling up his spine. He wanted to shout, to pull Granger away from the menacing woman studying her but he forced himself to remain still. However, he couldn't stop his fingers curling around his wand tightly.

The woman backed up a step and pointed her wand at Granger. With a soft murmured spell in French, Granger was released from her body bind. In the blink of an eye, Granger's hand had flown to her wand.

"STOP" the woman shouted jabbing her wand at Granger.

Granger pressed her hand into her side where Draco knew her wand was, but she made no move to retrieve it. Instead, holding up her other hand in a gesture of surrender, Granger let her wand hand fall away as she too took a step back.

"Do not draw your wand Ms. Granger" the woman purred in a much quieter voice, with a heavy French accent.

"How do you know my name?" Granger asked.

"I read the papers. I know who you are" the woman said, her wand still pointed steadily at Granger's chest "Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age. Friend of the great Harry Potter" she said.

"And who are you?" Granger asked, not a shred of fear or hesitation in her voice. For what was probably the millionth time, Draco marvelled.

"They tell me you are a smart witch. Surely you have some guesses" the woman cocked her head slightly but kept her wand steady.

"You're a descendent of Pandora. And… and you have some connection to the Malfoy family" Granger said, a hint of realisation in her voice.

"Both right. I am a descendant of Pandora and I am a member of the Malfoy family" she said, her voice just above a whisper.

"But how…" Granger's voice trailed away.

Draco noticed that the woman was toying almost deliberately with the cord holding the neck of her robe closed.

"I am the Malfoy that no one knew about, the forgotten Malfoy, neglected and ignored by my own father" the woman said, her eyes flashing with sudden anger.

"No that can't be…" Granger almost appeared to be talking to herself "Abraxous…"

The woman smirked. The sight was frighteningly familiar.

"You _are_ a smart one" she said, "and powerful too, if what I hear is correct".

"You're Lucius Malfoy's sister" Granger exclaimed.

At this Draco physically lurched forward and had to steady himself on his cane. All of this was unimaginable.

"Half-sister" the woman corrected with a little shiver.

"My father" she spat out the word as if she hated it "was apparently not as concerned about pure blood morals when he was in the throes of his affair with my mother. I believe the man you speak of is not very much older than I am".

"So, you're a half blood?" Granger asked.

"Oh no" she woman let out a small laugh "my mother belonged to the Arseneau family; very old pure blood. That is until she got pregnant with me. Then they kicked her out".

As she spoke the woman finally undid the cord at her throat and her robe fell open. Underneath, she was wearing pants and a shirt and heavy riding boots. A silvery medallion glinted at her throat.

"So, you're…" Granger had assumed a duelling position as she spoke. Draco assumed that she too had caught a glimpse of the medallion.

"I am Lucille Malfoy, descendent of Pandora, carrier of the Pandora blood" the woman replied.

"How did you find out about her?" Granger asked, adjusting her shoulder so that her wand holster was pushed forward slightly.

"When my mother was thrown out of the family, she tried in vain to get Abraxous Malfoy's attention. When she failed, she resolved to discover everything she could about him, to blackmail him I assume. She is the one who discovered Pandora. She made friends with people in this organisation. Of course, she never used the information, but she left it all to me when she died" the woman replied, passing her hand over the medallion. Draco noticed that it changed colour when it touched her skin.

"And now you have the amulet" Granger said it as a statement and not a question.

The woman inclined her head.

"What does it do?" Granger asked. Draco saw that Granger had crouched fractionally as she spoke, and he knew that she was readying herself to jump in attack while pulling her wand from its holster.

The woman stayed her hand which was passing again over the medallion and considered Granger for a moment.

"What do you treasure most in your life Ms. Granger?" she asked.

Granger's eyes narrowed.

"My friends and my family" she replied, without missing a beat.

"Oh no … you think that's what you treasure most" the woman said tugging gently on the medallion "wizards treasure one thing above all else. I'm sure you're no different".

Granger's shoulders pushed back slightly but she didn't say anything. Her concentration was almost palpable.

"Magic my dear" the woman whispered "all wizards treasure magic".

Granger went still as she took in the woman's words.

"The thing you treasure most is your magic. And I can take it"


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

It only took a second

For one second, Granger relaxed her duelling stance.

That one second was all Lucille Malfoy needed.

Granger didn't even get a chance to reach for her wand.

" _CRUCIO_ "

Lucille roared with her wand pointed directly at Granger.

And Granger screamed.

It was a sound that Draco had heard before and one he had prayed he would never have to hear again. It was so heart-rendering that even the chosen one lurched forward with his arms outstretched as if to protect his best friend. Weasley had fallen to his knees.

Draco closed his eyes but the image of Granger screaming in pain was seared onto the back of his eyelids. It went on for what seemed like forever.

Then it was silent.

Draco opened his eyes. Granger was on the floor seemingly unconscious. The woman walked up to her quickly and held the medallion directly over the witch on the ground. She began a slow chant as the medallion began to change colour. Slowly at first and then rapidly, it changed into a host of colours before becoming entirely translucent.

Draco assumed that it was at this point that the medallion began drawing out Granger's magic because a smug smirk appeared on the woman's face.

Suddenly, the door to the barn banged open. Draco did not need to turn to see that it was himself who had appeared at the door.

There was a tug behind his naval and then he was standing next to Weasley and Potter in the small study at Cassandra house.

None of them spoke for a long time.

"Bloody hell" Weasley whispered. Draco realised that the ginger haired wizard was shaking.

As for himself, he felt sick. He clenched and unclenched his hands in an effort to control himself.

So, it was true. The medallion really could take someone's magic. This went against everything he had ever learned about magic and its properties.

"What do we do?" Weasley asked, his voice still low and unsteady.

"We need to learn whether it's permanent or whether Hermione will regain the magic she lost" Potter replied. "We also need to learn how to destroy it" he continued "it needs to be destroyed, it's too dangerous to be out in the world" he said.

"We should call in some experts on magical theory. I know someone who could help" Draco said, his mind finally beginning to move.

Potter glanced at him briefly and nodded.

"I'll send a message to the head of magical properties at St. Mungos. Maybe he could help" he said.

"Neville too" Weasley added.

Draco opened his mouth to add some names to the list when there was an urgent knock at the door.

"Come in" Potter called, distractedly cleaning his spectacles as he spoke, eyes far away.

Theo entered. "Draco, can I speak to you for a minute. I'm sorry guys, it's sort of urgent" he said hurriedly.

Potter waved his hand, the other still clutching his now spotless spectacles.

Draco stepped out and closed the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What happened to your leg?" Theo asked almost simultaneously.

Draco shrugged "A curse. It'll be fine. What's wrong Theo?"

"Draco you need to sort out this mess with Astoria. I've had almost a dozen owls from your mother, Astoria, your lawyer and Mr. Greengrass. Merlin Draco this isn't some schoolyard affair, it's a broken arranged engagement. It's kind of a big deal" Theo said all in a rush.

Draco sighed heavily and leaned against the door frame.

"Give me the gist" he said resignedly.

"Fredrick Greengrass wants to sue you for emotional distress. You're in a magically binding engagement that needs to be magically broken. Astoria has already sent Tracey three howlers about how Trace has wrecked her marriage. And in case you've forgotten, we are in a home belonging to the Greengrasses. Fredrick wants us out of it" Theo said through gritted teeth.

Draco groaned, turning his face to the wall and leaning his forehead against it. After a few moments of wishing he was anywhere but here, Draco turned back to Theo.

"Alright. Tell me what to do" he said.

Theo sighed and kept a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Use the floo. Go to your mother. Call your lawyer and sort this out" he said quietly.

"No" Draco said immediately "I'm not leaving Greece until this is over. I will speak to my mother and Munch and Fredrick, but I will not leave".

"I'll look around for a place?" Theo asked after a moment.

Draco nodded. "A big place, with a large hall for an infirmary. And thank you".

Theo nodded once and removed his hand.

"Are you sure about this Draco? A marriage with the Greengrasses would be ideal" he said.

Draco sighed. "Ideal for whom Theo? For mother?" he stood for a moment in silence, leaning on his makeshift cane. "This isn't about Granger… or at least not entirely about her" he looked up, gathering his thoughts "I was never fully on board with this engagement. I did it mostly for mother's sake, to restore the Malfoy name as she said, with a decent respectable alliance. But… I want more Theo. I want something for myself. I've lived… all my life for other people. For father… for the Dark Lord and now… if I go through with this to make mother happy, I won't be" he finished with a sigh.

"And Granger?" Theo asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Draco sighed heavily again and then looked up with a smirk.

"The brightest witch of her age would have to be pretty dim to give former Death Eater Malfoy even a second look. It's not something I'd be willing to bet money on" he said.

"Well, at least your ego hasn't been leading you this time" Theo smirked back.

"Hey! I still have a lot of charm and I am a Malfoy. We've always gotten what we want" Draco replied.

"And there he is" Theo said, chuckling "Alright then Lord Malfoy, go dig yourself out of this mess before you fall into another one".

"Right" Draco said, drawing himself up to his full height again. "I'll just have a quick word with Potter and then go make some floo calls".

Theo nodded once and left as Draco let himself back into the study.

Potter and Weasley were sitting at the table now, talking quietly. They both looked up when Draco walked in.

"I'm sorry, it seems I have some personal business to sort out. If you can give me a few hours" he said, limping up to them.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the howlers Tracey's been getting would it?" Weasley asked, eyebrows raised.

Draco grimaced and rubbed his nose before he replied.

"I've broken my engagement to Astoria, as you know. She's gotten it into her head that Tracey had something to do with it, which she didn't. I'll speak to Tracey" he muttered.

"Will this be a problem?" Potter asked.

"No. I don't think so, but we might have to move" Draco ducked his head in embarrassment as he spoke "this house belongs to Fredrick Greengrass and he's not so accommodating now that I'm no longer engaged to Astoria".

Potter eyed him with narrowed eyes. "Well, this complicates things" he said.

"I've already asked Theo to secure us another location. It won't be a problem" Draco said.

"Sort this out Malfoy" Potter said.

Draco nodded once and left.


	35. Chapter Thirty Five

**A big thank you to everyone who left reviews. Again, I apologise for not having time to individually reply to you all. Your reviews and comments keep me going, even when I'm exhausted and sleep deprived.**

Hermione Granger felt like she was trudging through murky water.

Although she had managed to shake off the lethargy and sheer fatigue she had been feeling for the past two days, she found that casting magic was somewhat difficult.

Ever since Hermione had discovered magic and how to harness it, the casting of spells and charms had become second nature to her. Although she had spent a good deal of time perfecting her craft, magic itself was an innate part of her and one that she used instinctively.

Now however, as she concentrated deeply on her wand laying on her bedside, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she found that the magic she had earlier called upon with ease unconsciously, was slow to respond.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_ " she thought with all her might, hand outstretched towards her wand.

Slowly but surely, her wand raised a few inches over the bed.

Hermione sighed in relief. It was difficult but not beyond her.

" _Accio wand_ " she said quietly, and her wand zoomed into her hand.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry but you have to stop doing that" a voice came apologetically from behind her.

Hermione sighed again and slumped down onto her pillows. She grimaced at Ernie who now came to stand in front of her.

"I know you're itching to use magic, but you need to rest. There will be a bunch of mediwizards coming in today to test you. After you're cleared, you can do all the magic you want" Ernie said, soothingly, while making notes on a file tacked to a clipboard.

Hermione waved her hand and offered Ernie a small smile in acquiescence. She then turned to look out the window at the waves crashing a little off in the distance.

Sometime in the early morning, Harry had come in and informed her that they were moving to another location. His mumbled answers about security and staying hidden were all a little dubious to Hermione because she knew for a fact that Cassandra house was well warded and that very few people knew of its location. However, she didn't want to question him too closely just then as there were far too many foreign mediwizards around. She would get real answers from him later today.

She had also heard from some of the healers that Malfoy had gone back home. She couldn't very well gossip, so she stored those questions up in her mind as well, to interrogate Harry or Ron when they showed up.

The house they were in now was large and airy and sprawling like a luxury resort. It was located a little above the beach and so the team were now enjoying bright sunshine, sea spray and the accompanying humidity. Hemione rather liked the new spot and wondered idly whom Malfoy had to borrow this house from. Her nose crinkled as she glossed over the thought that this was yet another property belonging to Malfoy's affianced.

Another question she had to ask.

Hermione was about to settle down for yet another nap when a familiar face peeped in through the door.

"Neville!" she exclaimed, sitting up straighter and reaching her arms out for a hug "When did you get here?"

Neville folded his tall frame in half to return her hug.

"I got in through the floo this morning. I was worried sick since they told me about what happened to you. I was trying to get around McGonagall to come see you but then I got Harry's owl so I had to come. How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine Neville. Are you here for the meeting?" Hermione asked back.

Of the little information that Harry was giving away, one thing he had mentioned was that he was calling a meeting of quite a number of people to discuss the options and possibilities of the case. Among those invited were prominent healers, magical theorists, potions masters and law enforcement. They were going to strategize and attempt to make sense of all the information they now had.

Harry had also mentioned that all the prisoners they had captured during the raid had been questioned with Veritaserum and some with legilimency. Harry had not specified what they had discovered but had only told her that she would find out everything during the meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning.

"Yes, I'm here for that and I've been reading up as much as possible about counters to spells that cause loss of magic. Safe to say though that information on that particular topic is incredibly scarce" Neville said thoughtfully.

"So, there are potions that can be given to treat loss of magic?" Hermione asked.

"No, not exactly" Neville said slowly before sighing "I'm sorry, I'm under strict instructions not to discuss the case with you and stress you out. you're supposed to be resting" he said gently.

Hermione huffed.

"They're all being ridiculous. I'm fine. My magic is fine" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't doubt you 'mione but you will be going through a magical proficiency test administered by the ministry before you're cleared for the field again. Do you really want to risk them not clearing you by not resting and regaining your strength?" he asked, leaning down slightly to peer at her.

Hermione relaxed her stance fractionally but didn't reply. Instead she turned and looked out the window at the crashing waves again.

"Nice place this. Do you know whose it is?" Neville asked looking around curiously.

"No idea" she said turning back to Neville with a small shrug "I suppose Malfoy borrowed it from someone like he did before" she said.

"Ah… how is that situation going by the way? You all working with Malfoy I mean" Neville clarified.

Hermione considered his question for a minute before replying.

"It's alright I suppose. He's not the same hateful child he was in school. He's matured, doesn't talk much and he's been helpful I guess" she said contemplatively.

"Well that's all that matters then" Neville said brightly "Where is he by the way? I didn't see him while I was wondering around the property"

Hermione shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I've been in bed for the past two days" she replied.

"On that note, you'll never guess who I did meet sitting out on the back porch" Neville said, practically bouncing with excitement.

Hermione gave him a look that was both curious and amused.

"You know I'm not good at guessing games Neville" she said with mock sternness.

"Fine. I met Allen Vercloft, in the flesh" Neville said, eyes sparkling in anticipation of Hermione's reaction.

"No" Hermione's voice came out in a whisper.

"Yes" Neville replied.

Allen Vercloft was a world famous magical properties theoretician who lived in almost complete obscurity. His theories on magic and magical beings were widely accepted and the handful of students he took under his wing every few years were considered extremely lucky to have spent any amount of time in his company.

Hermione had heard of Vercloft a few years into her Auror career. Although she had desperately wanted to meet him and had vociferously read all his books, she had just not been able to find the time to actually make an appointment.

"Who invited him? Shaklebolt?" she asked incredulously.

"That's the kicker actually. He's here on Malfoy's invite. Did you know that Malfoy studied magical properties under him?" Neville asked, leaning in conspiratorially.

"No, really? That lucky bastard" Hermione said, the expletive leaving her lips before she could call it back.

Neville chuckled appreciatively.

"I know right. Vercloft's Magical Herbology book was prescribed reading for us so I've been a massive fan of his since Hogwarts. I almost couldn't believe it when he said that Malfoy had been one of his best students and that he couldn't refuse the invitation since it came from Malfoy" he said.

Hermione didn't reply for a few minutes. She was lost in thought.

Malfoy studied under Allen Vercloft.

That in itself was impressive but even more impressive was how on earth he could have gotten that position when hundreds of students around the world applied to study under him every year. She wondered idly whether Galleons had anything to do with it. Or Lucius Malfoy's blackmail. Or maybe, just maybe, it was his talent?

Neville was still prattling on when Hermione came out of her reverie.

"… so, he said he really liked my theory on modifications to the wolfsbane potion and that he'd give it some thought when he has time. Isn't that great?" Neville asked excitedly.

"That's wonderful Neville" Hermione replied almost automatically.

Where was Malfoy?

It was incredibly rare that Hermione was ever impressed by another wizard's intelligence or magical prowess. She had learned long ago that very few people actually put in the work required to gain a substantial bank of knowledge or even a sizable list of doable spells. Most wizards tended to stick to the basics that they used everyday and rarely thought of venturing outside their comfort zone when it came to magic. Hence, she was pleasantly surprised and intrigued that Malfoy had actually applied himself to work under Vercloft who was known to be very extracting of his students.

"You alright 'mione" Ron's voice broke through Hermione's thoughts.

"Hello Ron" Hermione replied warmly "I'm fine, thank you".

"Great" he replied clapping Neville on the back in greeting "Harry asked me to check up on you and let you know that the team of healers from St. Mungo's will be here this evening to test your magic".

"And the ministry test?" she asked, worriedly.

"We don't know that yet 'mione" he said apologetically, rubbing his chin.

"She really won't be able to work until the ministry clears her? Even with clearance from the healers?" Neville asked.

"Well, the healers will just be checking whether she's alright medically. The ministry needs to know if she can duel and attack and defend herself. It's two different things mate. Of course, until the healers clear her, she won't be allowed to take the ministry test either" Ron said ruefully.

Neville gave Hermione a sad smile.

"I wouldn't worry about that Hermione, you're the strongest witch I know. And you've never failed a test" Neville laughed out the last part as Ron snickered along.

Hemione rolled her eyes and flopped back on to the bed.

After a few more minutes of chatter, Ron and Neville left, leaving Hermione to nap and worry about the healers' report. She was just dozing off when she heard a small 'pop' in the little copse outside the makeshift infirmary that currently housed only her.

Hermione raised her head just in time to see Malfoy appear in a flourish of black billowing robes.

He stood stock still, looking at the ground, wand clutched in his hand.

He stood like that for so long that Hermione considered calling someone to check up on him.

Just as she raised herself off the bed and came to the window however, Malfoy turned on his heel and began walking towards the back entrance of the house.

Just before he reached it however, his eyes came up to her window.

Stormy grey met amber brown for a solid moment.

Then he was gone.


	36. Chapter Thirty Six

Hermione closed her eyes and willed herself to relax.

A group of five medizards from back home were standing around her bed casting diagnostic spells. Beyond them, towards the back of the room, she could make out Harry, Ron, Ernie, Neville and an assorted group of healers standing around, talking in muted whispers.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to remain still.

"Ms. Granger if you could please perform the following spells" the deep male voice made Hermione open her eyes.

Healer Patrick Jones was looking at her from the top of his half lens spectacles. He was the current head of the Janus Thickey Ward for long-term patients and had extensive knowledge and experience dealing with wizards who had accrued injuries and permanent impairment due to dark magic. Harry had requested his presence specifically to work with Hermione and also to give his opinions during the meeting to be held tomorrow.

Hermione performed the relatively simple spells that healer Jones read off the list on his file, ending up by summoning a water decanter from across the hall.

"Well. I think we can safely say that you have not sustained any lasting physical damage or any apparent permanent damage to your magic Ms. Granger. If reports are to be believed, I feel that although this may not be your full ability, you will, in time, regain complete mastery of magic as you had before" Healer Jones said smiling kindly at Hermione, after exchanging looks with the others gathered around her bed.

"I would not worry over much although I must request that you rest as much as possible" he continued. My medical recommendation however, is that you be taken off this case until you have fully regained the full range of your magic".

Hermione sat straight up in bed.

"Healer Jones … Please… You can't be serious… I've been working on this case for over a year" Hermione stuttered.

Behind the healer, she could see that Harry and the others had also straightened up and were listening intently.

"That may be so Ms. Granger, but I do not think it would be wise for you to be on the field on potentially hazardous missions in your state. Especially since we do not yet know how your magic would react in an emergency situation. What if you are attacked, and you cannot defend yourself?" he asked, still peering at her kindly.

Hermione was speechless.

"Of course, I do not mean that you should sit at home like an invalid. I am merely recommending that you stay off the field. You can and should, by all means, continue assisting in this case as much as you can. I'm sure the team need your expertise" healer Jones continued.

With a reassuring pat on her arm, Jones and his team then left; Jones pausing to speak a few words to Harry on his way out.

"Hey" Ron made his way over to her bed, Neville waving at her before trailing behind the healers "it's great news that you're alright 'mione."

Hermione merely huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

She knew her magic and she trusted it. She knew it would never fail her, but here she was, kicked off her own case.

"Look, you will still be here, you just won't go on missions or raids. You can plot, and plan and we need you, we'll never be able to solve this without you" Ron went on placatingly, perching on the edge of the bed.

"He's right. We need you safe. Otherwise we're all just floundering in the dark" Harry came up behind Ron and leaned on the wall next to Hermione's bed.

"But I _can_ do magic Harry. I know what happened to me, but I also know what's happening inside my own body. It's getting stronger Harry I can feel it. I might not be able to duel just yet, but I will be soon" Hermione hated the plaintive tone of her voice, but she desperately needed to get her message across to Harry. If anyone could challenge the healers report, it would be him.

She had spent her entire adult life perfecting and strengthening her magic damnit, and she was damn well not going to step aside now.

"Alright" Harry nodded slowly "Let's allow a few days and then I'll talk the healers into giving you another shot. I can get Robbards and a few others to come and give you the ministry test afterwards. They're as desperate to have you back on the field as you are".

"Thank you!" Hermione smiled brightly and fell back onto her pillows with a contented sigh "I can get out of bed, now right?" she asked.

Harry shrugged "suppose so".

"Great. But first, I need some answers" Hermione settled down more comfortably on the bed and patted a spot on the bed for Harry to sit.

Harry sighed heavily before sitting down reluctantly.

"First, why did we move? And don't give me some rubbish about changing locations for safety" she said, counting off the first point on her finger.

Hermione did not miss the look Harry and Ron exchanged before Harry ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Cassandra house belonged to Fredrick Greengrass. He asked us to leave" he said, finally looking up at her.

"Why?" she asked.

Another pregnant pause.

"He had a disagreement with Malfoy" it was Ron who answered.

"What disagreement?" she asked, eyes narrowed curiously.

This time the silence stretched out longer than Hermione had the patience for.

"Guys?" she prompted.

"Look, this is all Malfoy's private business and I think it's his story to tell, not ours" Harry said silently looking down at his hands.

"Did he tell you not to tell anyone?" she asked incredulously.

"It was implied" Ron answered, shifting uncomfortably.

"Where did he go?" she asked after a minute.

Harry looked up at her curiously at that.

"I saw him apparating in a few hours ago. And I heard some of the healers mention that he was not in Greece" she explained.

"He had to go home" Harry said.

"To sort out the disagreement?" she asked.

"Yes" he replied simply.

Hermione considered this for a minute.

"What happened to his leg?" she asked.

"That I can tell you" Harry straightened up with a smile "He was hit with a modified paralytic curse during the raid. He claims he forgot to get it looked at and hobbled around on a numb leg for a day before they diagnosed him and treated it" Harry finished with a chuckle.

"Will it be alright?" Hermione asked, worried but also fascinated.

Harry shrugged.

"The healer who treated him said it would probably take time and that he will probably regain the feeling in his leg eventually" Ron answered.

"Probably?" she asked.

Ron shrugged and looked across at Harry.

"They're not sure. It's a modified curse so no one really knows" he said "I thought you had questions about the case" he said annoyedly.

"I do. But I'm assuming all of that is in the brief which I am sure you will give me before the meeting" Hermione replied primly.

"Right. Yes. I'll have your file sent to your room" Harry muttered, rolling his neck in exhaustion.

"Right" Hermione swung her legs off the bed and got to her feet "Which is my room?" she asked brightly.

"Upstairs, down the hall, fourth room on your right" Ron said with his eyes scrunched in concentration as if he was reciting the directions from memory.

"Okay, I will see you both tomorrow then. I need to study the brief and do some research. Does this Manor have a library?" she asked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other blankly.

Hermione sighed.

"Never mind. I'll find it myself" she said moving towards the door.

Muttering the directions to her room to herself, Hermione climbed the stairs and was met with two hallways instead of one. Shaking her head at Ron's lack of clarity in giving directions, Hermione headed down one hall and counted up to the fourth room. Just to be safe, she knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in" a male voice spoke.

"Damn you Ronald Weasley" Hermione muttered, debating about whether to open the door and apologise or make a run for it.

Just as she had come to the decision to speed walk in the opposite direction, the door swung open to reveal a recently-out-of-the-shower Draco Malfoy.

He was barefoot, clad in just pants and a half-buttoned shirt, wet hair still leaking water onto his forehead.

Hermione froze.

"Granger" Malfoy drawled "Cleared by the healers? Can I help you with anything?"

He seemed more curious than anything as to why she was standing there with her mouth gaping open, wringing her hands in confusion.

"Malfoy! So sorry. I think Ron gave the wrong directions to my room. I thought this was my room" she rambled.

Malfoy stared at her for a moment in silence.

"I'll just go back and ask him again" Hermione turned to leave.

Suddenly a cold hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"What did the healers say?" he asked.

"I'm fine. My magic is coming back. But they want me off the case. Or at least, off the field" she replied quietly, eyes on the pale white hand on her wrist.

"You can still work on the case" he said matter-of-factly.

"Well, yes but I… I want to be on the field as well" she said, feeling a slight twitch of anger. Why must everyone try to keep her 'safe' and off the field. She was as good an auror as any of them, matching even Harry in combat. They had no right to doubt her.

"Naturally. You're very adept at what you do" Malfoy shrugged, finally letting go of her hand "I'm sure you'll be on the field soon enough" a small smirk emerged on his face.

A drop of water fell onto his cheek from a lock of hair.

"Why did you go home?" she asked suddenly, her desire to know overpowering her common sense.

The smirk disappeared from his face.

"I'm afraid that's personal Granger" he said quietly.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue but stopped at the forbidding look on his face. She looked down at her hands instead and nodded.

"Fine" she turned to leave.

Malfoy sighed from behind her as she moved away.

"Granger wait"

Hermione stopped but didn't turn around.

"There's a small library on the ground floor, next to the main drawing room. If you're planning on doing research, that would be the place to go" he said.

Hermione nodded briefly turning her head.

"I have some research to do myself… after dinner" he said just as she began to move away again.

This time she turned around, a smirk of her own lifting the side of her mouth.

But he had already gone back into his room and closed the door by the time she had turned.


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven

Hermione entered the cosy library on the ground floor and smiled in appreciation.

It was small and compact, bookshelves packed close together, interspersed with couches and deep armchairs. There was a single fireplace at one end of the room and a large writing desk on the other, giving whomever was seated at the desk, a clear view of the floo.

Hermione wandered over to the desk and set her file down on it, turning slowly to take in the surroundings. She had barely glimpsed at the information inside her brief, rushing instead through a quick bath, and hurried dinner before coming downstairs to begin her work.

She eyed one of the plush couches critically before falling onto it and pulling the file onto her lap. A few seconds into her reading however, her concentration was stolen by the bookshelf directly beside her.

Drawing her wand, she pointed it idly towards the bookshelf. Knowing full well that she should be resting and not straining herself performing magic, Hermione was nevertheless itching to test her abilities.

She flicked her wand.

Nothing.

Hermione took a deep calming breath and closed her eyes. Reaching deep into herself, summoning her strength, she flicked her wand again.

This time, the books on the shelf slowly began to move. As she poured more of her energy into the spell, they began to move faster, positioning themselves alphabetically along the shelves.

Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and Hermione felt a wave of fatigue hit her with a force.

"Impressive"

The voice cut through Hermione's vice-like concentration and the books immediately stopped moving.

She turned towards the voice, passing the heel of her palm across her forehead.

"Malfoy" she greeted, her voice a little out of breath.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her before flicking his wand. Within seconds, a glass of water had made its way over to her. She thanked him with a nod before drinking it all down in a single gulp.

"Should you be doing that?" he drawled.

Hermione didn't answer for a minute as she considered the tall blond in front of her.

For the first time since they had begun working on the case, Hermione was seeing Malfoy out of his formal black robes. At the moment, he was wearing navy slacks and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves firmly cuffed at his wrists. He was by no means as casualy garbed as she was; in sweatpants and an old baggy sweater, but it was interesting to see him out of wizarding robes.

With a start though, she realised that they were both forced to wear long sleeves, despite the humidity, due to what was hidden beneath, on both their forearms.

"Granger?" Malfoy cocked his head at her, causing a lock of hair to flop to the side of his head.

"Yes, sorry. Um… what?" she stammered.

"Should you be doing magic in your condition?" he asked, moving slowly to an armchair on her right.

Hermione noticed the simple cane he was leaning on but said nothing.

"My condition? Oh… That magic was nothing. I was just… checking" she finished quietly.

"The amulet was used on you for approximately ten to fifteen seconds Granger. I doubt it had enough time to do lasting damage. You'll get your magic back" Malfoy said, leaning back in his chair.

"And your leg?" she asked.

Malfoy shrugged, his eyes dimming slightly "It'll be fine too".

They sat for some time in silence, Hermione idly flipping through Harry's account of the raid and Malfoy perusing the file in his hand.

"How did you know there was a blood ward on the room I was in?" Hermione asked when she got to that particular part of Harry's report.

Malfoy looked up.

"A lot of old wizards used blood wards. A lot of dark wizards use them too because they're strong and cannot be breached easily. Plus, you had already mentioned that Pandora was proficient in blood wards. It was an easy assumption" he replied.

"Thank you" Hermione said quietly, looking down at her file.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy shift in his chair. A few minutes later, he sighed.

"Potter said you had some questions" he spoke with an air of determination.

Hermione deliberated for a fraction of a second whether she should just let this go but knew just as easily that her curiosity would not be sated unless she knew what was going on. Especially since everyone else seemed to know.

She closed her file and fixed Malfoy with a look.

"Why did we leave Cassandra house?" she asked.

Malfoy shifted again, eyes locked on the fireplace in front of him.

"Cassandra house belongs to Fredrick Greengrass. I… I broke my engagement to Astoria so, I suppose it's safe to say that I'm not high in his favour at the moment. He asked us to leave" he said tightly.

Hermione noted that Malfoy's hands gripped the arm rests as he spoke, signalling his tension.

"But why would you do that?" she asked mildly.

"Break off my engagement?" he asked glancing over at her.

Hermione nodded and propped her face on her palm.

Malfoy was silent for a minute as if weighing his words carefully before he said them.

"The proposal from the Greengrasses was brought to my mother about a year ago. My mother and I worked hard to regain and maintain what little reputation we had after the war and I think that it still pained my mother that we didn't have the same social standing we used to. Most of the Dark Lord's followers did not come out in open support of him like my father did and so they mostly avoided the censure that we had to undergo after the war. People like the Greengrasses were relatively unscathed although they were just as guilty as we were"

Malfoy sighed and pushed his hair out of his face before continuing. Hermione was rapt.

"So, either way, my mother was extremely happy when the Greengrasses proposed. She convinced me that marriage to Astoria would be good for me and for the family. As I said, me and Astoria didn't really need to associate much so I just went along with it" he finished in a huff.

"So, what changed?" Hermione asked.

"I couldn't go through with it. You were right in a way, it was a lonely existence. I didn't know or particularly like Astoria, it was little more than a business arrangement. Mother was upset when I wanted to break it off, but she stood by me eventually" he dropped his head back onto the chair as he spoke.

"So, it's over now?" Hermione absently played with a stray curl that had escaped the messy bun on top of her head.

Malfoy watched her distractedly for a minute before replying.

"Yes… and no".

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"When I got engaged, we signed a betrothal contract and performed a magical binding. It's not something that many wizards do nowadays, it's an extremely antiquated tradition. There's not even any real power behind the binding. I tried to undo everything with floo calls but the Greengrasses were not having it. So, I had to go home to sort it all out"

"As of now, the betrothal contract has been dissolved, although I still have to recompense the Greengrass family but unfortunately the magical binding has not been undone" Malfoy kept his eyes trained on a point on the wall as he spoke, bitterness seeping through his tone.

"Wait" Hermione shook her head as if to shake some understanding into it "what recompense and why can't you undo the magical binding?" she asked.

Malfoy finally broke his gaze from the wall and turned to face her.

"Monetary recompense. I have to pay a significant amount of money as compensation for the broken engagement".

"But that's ridiculous" Hermione said, a look of utter disbelief crossing her features.

"Not in pureblood wizarding society. It's not so much about the money as it is about wounded pride. I am yet to hear just how much of Fredrick Greengrasses pride I am to pay for" Malfoy said, blatantly bitter this time.

"And the magical binding?" Hermione asked.

"A magical engagement binding can only be dissolved with full and willing consent of both parties. As of yet, Astoria is not willing to grant me a dissolution" he said with a full-on smirk that harkened back to his Hogwarts days, cynical and full of malice.

"Oh Malfoy" Hermione said with undisguised commiseration in her voice "she still loves you?"

Malfoy barked out a laugh at her question.

"She most certainly does not love me, she never did. I am to pay money for Fredrick's pride you see and to pay with my time for Astoria's" he said, grey eyes stormier than ever.

"So, technically you're still engaged to her? And you will be until she willingly allows you to dissolve it?" Hermione asked.

"I am not engaged to her. That silly piece of magic means nothing to me" Malfoy said with barely suppressed anger.

"What does a magical engagement binding do exactly?" Hermione propped her face on her palm again.

"Nothing much. It just prevents me from participating in another magically binding engagement, which again really means nothing since most wizards don't even perform those anymore" he replied with a huff.

"So, no infidelity curses or anything?" Hermione asked mockingly

"Merlin no! Those are only cast during a marriage bonding ceremony and that too not anymore. Or if it is cast, it's very rare I suppose" he muttered.

Hermione shook her head again at the incredulity of it all and thanked the Gods that she was muggle-born and would never, in her right mind, consent to all this nonsense when she finally decided to get married.

"How did you find this house?" she asked after a while.

"I didn't. Nott did. Apparently, it belongs to a distant relative" Malfoy replied dismissively.

"Wow. You pure-blood wizards really love your large sprawling holiday homes" she said with a smirk.

Malfoy grimaced "Again, it's a traditional thing. We try to outdo one another with the amount of property we own" he said with a shrug.

"So where do the Malfoy's stand in terms of sprawling property?" she asked with a smile.

Again, Malfoy's eyes dimmed slightly.

"Since the war, very low" he shrugged "We have the manor, a cottage in Ireland, and one in France. Almost all our other properties were sold, and the money given to the ministry as war reparations" he said keeping his tone forcefully light.

"Oh" Hermione said, mentally kicking herself. She didn't know why she had even asked that when she knew very well that the Malfoy's had had to pay massive fines.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" he asked quietly.

Hermione stared ahead.

"Can I ask you about the war?" she asked tentatively.

Malfoy stared at her, grey eyes searing into hers. His look was so intense that she had to look away first.

"What do you want to know?" he asked finally.

Hermione took a deep breath.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" she asked, the question coming out in a rush.

"No" Malfoys fingers were now gipping the armrests of his chair.

"Have you tortured anyone?" she asked, although she felt she knew the answer to that.

"Yes"

"Did you want to do it?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

He never broke his stare.

"There is no yes or no answer to that. At the time I believed in what I was doing. Later on, I was forced" he said through gritted teeth.

"Why did you take the mark?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

Malfoy right hand went almost instinctively towards his left forearm as if it hurt him.

"Same answer. Ultimately I did it for my family"

Hermione was silent.

Malfoy stood up.

"Are you quite done?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Malfoy" Hermione said quietly "I had to know. I've always needed to know. I want… I need to be able to trust you".

Malfoy looked straight ahead.

"We all have the same nightmares Granger, it doesn't matter which side of the war you were on"


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight

"Malfoy, please wait" Hermione scrambled up off her couch and swayed as another wave of fatigue hit her.

She fumbled and grabbed onto the closest thing which just happened to be Malfoy's shirt sleeve.

"Granger… honestly"

Malfoy had half turned when she had swayed and now held her by the arm and helped her back down onto the couch.

"Sorry… I just feel so tired. It's because I used magic and I'm not supposed to" Hermione knew she was rambling, but she just wanted to keep Malfoy in the library until she could explain herself.

"Well then don't do magic" Malfoy muttered, as he tried to straighten up.

"Wait… look, I'm sorry if my questioning felt intrusive or if they offended you in any way" Hermione looked up at Malfoy, still clutching his sleeve.

"I just… I needed to know. I didn't know you when we were at Hogwarts, I doubt we've ever even had a single decent conversation. And I haven't been on any cases with you before this. I… I just needed to know" she said, finally letting go of his sleeve.

"But just what is it that gives you that right Granger? What makes you feel like you can question that part of my life? Because your side won? I have to bear being judged by you?" Malfoy asked, limping away from her couch and then turning to look back at her.

"And yes, you're right, we never did have a single decent conversation at Hogwarts. And that's because the prejudice that you are so fond of accusing me of was operating wholeheartedly on both sides" he continued.

"What? What on earth are you talking about? You were always mean to us. Me especially" Hermione squeaked.

"I wanted to make friends with Potter on that very first day. And yes, maybe my methods were a little skewered, but I was fucking eleven years old. I had never needed to make friends before because all my friends had already been made for me. I didn't know how else to talk to him. And then practically as soon as school started, and I was sorted into Slytherin that was it" Malfoy threw his hand up "I became the bad pure blood while you all became the hero's"

"Well you hardly helped your case Malfoy. Don't stand there and act like a bloody victim. You weren't always eleven, you chose to call me names, you chose to pass on lies to Skeeter and then you chose to become a Death Eater. Harry was who he was because he made the right choices" Hermione sat up as straight as she could without actually standing because she didn't want to fall flat on her face.

"What would you know about choices Granger?" Malfoy asked scornfully "All your life you were given options, you were given choices, choices that I never had".

"That doesn't even mean anything Malfoy. Everyone has a choice, you just couldn't make the right ones. Maybe if you had actually taken part in school, you would have learned that" Hermione said, trying valiantly to keep her tempo in check.

"Actually taken? Actually… you don't know shite about what I did in school Granger. I tried my bloody best, but the best was never good enough. I was right behind you in every single class, in every single test but did that matter? It didn't make an inch of a difference. Not to Dumbledore, not to my father…" Malfoy stopped himself, breathing heavily.

"So, what? You're saying that you becoming a Death Eater, allowing Death Eaters into a school full of children, torturing people, all that was because no one paid attention to you? Because no one wanted to be your friend?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy stared at her for a few long moments as if he couldn't believe what she had just said.

Hermione stood up and walked slowly up to him, grateful that her legs were now strong enough.

"You can't excuse all your past behaviour because of what happened when you were a child Malfoy. You were not a child when you took the mark, when you tried to murder Dumbledore, when…"

Malfoy grabbed Hermione by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin so tightly she winced at the pain.

"Stop" he whispered "Please… just stop"

He closed his eyes for a minute before opening them to look at her through hooded eyelids.

"I am not trying to excuse my behaviour" he whispered through gritted teeth, so close that his breath tickled Hermione's forehead.

"I have paid with my blood and my sanity for what I did. All I wanted in return was to be left alone. To forget that part of my life. To be treated like anybody else" he released her and hobbled backwards, "but, I guess that's just too much to ask of some people" he said bitterly, turning on his heel.

"Malfoy wait" Hermione's voice was equally quiet.

"I said you can't excuse your past behaviour. I'm not saying you're a bad person now" she touched his shoulder "I believe in second chances, I honestly do and I daresay you more than qualify for one" she tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"And you're right, maybe I don't have any right to question you or to bring all this up, but I want to know you, to be your friend, and I can't do that without getting all of this out in the open, without at least discussing it" she continued.

Malfoy let out a short laugh and leaned his head back as if trying to gather himself.

"You? You want to be my friend? Why?" he asked without turning around.

Hermione considered that question as she stared at his back.

"Why? Because I think you're interesting. There's so much I don't know about you. I didn't know you studied under Allen Vercloft or what you did at Durmstrang. I don't know about your defence academy or how it operates. I… I want to get to know you" she said hesitantly.

Malfoy finally turned, leaning heavily on his cane as he stared down at her. Hermione's breath caught when she realised just how close they were standing.

"I don't make friends easily Granger" he said quietly.

"I'm sure you don't. But we can try" she replied, looking into the stormy grey depths of his eyes.

Malfoy's shoulders slumped as if he was releasing pent up energy.

And still Hermione couldn't break away from his gaze.

She knew what was going to happen before it did.

Which was why she automatically moved back when Malfoy moved in.

He froze, grey eyes darkening.

"Malfoy…" Hermione began in a dazed whisper.

But before she could get any words out, he had turned and strode out of the room.


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine

Hermione was late for the meeting.

At the moment, she was feverishly buttoning up her robes while simultaneously looking for her work boots.

After Malfoy had stormed out of the library the night before, Hermione had fallen back onto her couch and stared at nothing for close to an hour.

What did it all mean? What had he been trying to do to? Had he actually been trying to kiss her?

No.

She highly doubted it although at that moment she had been positive that was exactly what he was trying to do. In hindsight, that really made no sense. Had she given him some sort of signal that she wanted to kiss him? _Had_ she wanted to kiss him?

No no no no. Hermione shook herself and peered into the mirror in front of her with one boot in her hand.

She groaned.

In her frazzled state of mind, she had unconsciously put her robes on inside out. No wonder she had struggled with the buttons so much. With a frustrated sigh, she began undoing them.

Maybe he had been going for a hug?

It had been an emotionally charged conversation for the both of them and Hermione was glad that she had gotten at least some of her concerns out in the open and had some of her questions addressed. But why would he have gone from one point to the other extreme so quickly? Had it been a spontaneous, caught-up-in-the-moment, gut reaction?

Highly probable.

He probably hadn't even realised what he was doing. Then again, this was Malfoy we were talking about. Everything about him was pre-planned and plotted.

Hermione finally finished lacing up her boots, plopped onto her bed and put her face in her hands.

But what exactly was her take on Malfoy?

She didn't feel the same anger and distaste that she had felt about him earlier. He was good in battle and obviously intelligent. He was also quiet and reserved, moody and mysterious even. Always well mannered and poised. Fairly good looking too, if she got past the stark angularity of his face and his impossible paleness.

She was intrigued.

That was the word.

She _did_ want to get to know him, to unravel the mystery that was Draco Malfoy.

Did she want anything more?

No.

Not right now anyway, when she was in the middle of a case. Maybe after…

Hermione shook herself and jumped off the bed. After a cursory glance in the mirror to make sure everything was where it should be, she strode off towards the ballroom which had been converted into a conference room for today.

After shaking off her shock following the encounter with Malfoy, Hermione had thrown herself into her research; thoroughly reading the file and doing her own research on the information she found until past four in the morning. She had woken up her assistant at home and through the floo had requested books and notes and then had made a comprehensive report which she intended to use during this meeting. However, it was now seven, so, technically she had gotten less than three hours of sleep.

Again, she knew that this was inadvisable. She was supposed to be resting to regain her strength and her magic.

Finally, she was at the large double doors that led to the ballroom. From inside, she could hear mumbles and chairs scraping. She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.

There was a large table set up in the middle of the room with chairs placed all around it, three rows deep. Most of the chairs were already filled and only a few empty spots remained. Hermione scanned the room once before finding Ron and settling herself next to him. After a mumbled hello, Hermione began to furtively take in the rest of the gathering.

There were Healers from back home who were seated with some foreign looking healers Hermione didn't recognise. Healer Jones caught her eye and gave her a small smile which she tentatively returned.

There were aurors from her own department as well as some law enforcement officials from Greece. The Greek minister for Magic was currently in deep conversation with Robbards and Blaise. Hermione was glad that Robbards was there as it meant that if she was cleared by the healers, Robbards could give her the ministry test to put her back on the field. She tried catching his eye but was unsuccessful.

With a start, she realised that Malfoy, Nott, Tracey and members of Malfoy's defence company were also seated at the far side of the table. Trying hard to ignore the fact that her heart rate had increased slightly and fervently hoping that she hadn't suddenly blushed, Hermione surreptitiously studied Malfoy's profile as he conversed quietly with Nott and a middle-aged gentleman on his left.

As she stared at him distractedly, Malfoy's eyes turned almost as if he had sensed her gaze and met hers. This time, she was sure she had blushed but could not look away. Malfoy held her gaze for a fraction of a second before turning back to his companions, not a single emotion on his face.

Damn him and his blank face.

"'mione you alright?" Ron asked, a hand on her arm.

Hermione quickly looked away from Malfoy and at Ron "Yes, of course. Sorry. Um… who's that talking to Malfoy?" she asked, in what she hoped was nonchalance.

"Oh, some magic expert or something. I met him earlier at Breakfast. Can't remember his name though" Ron replied, scratching his ear.

"Allen Vercloft?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"Oh yeah. That's the one. You know him?" Ron asked.

"Well, I've heard about him. He's a magical theoretician. Malfoy apparently studied under him" Hermione replied, once again looking at the blond, whose attention was firmly elsewhere.

"Really? Full of surprises that Malfoy" Ron said lightly. However, Hermione caught the calculating look in Ron's eye that told her he was deducing something she didn't know about. Even now, it irked her sometimes how Ron could be awfully perceptive about things she randomly overlooked.

She was about to ask him what he was thinking when the doors to the ballroom opened to admit Harry, Shaklebolt, Neville and two others Hermione didn't know. Harry sat down next to her with a smile while Shaklebolt walked over to greet the Greek minister.

"Did you study the file?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"Yes. It's horrifying isn't it?" Hermione whispered back.

Harry sighed and took his specs off. He rubbed his eyes and put his glasses back on.

"We need to figure this one out Hermione. We need to end it" Harry said quietly.

Hermione opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by Shaklebolt who had risen.

"Good morning. We are all here today to strategize and come up with a plan to end this great danger to our communities. Harry, if we could begin without taking further time" Shaklebolt gestured to Harry and sat back down.

"Right Minister" Harry opened a file on his table "I'll just briefly outline what we know so far and we can discuss from there. Please feel free to interrupt with any questions" Harry said before taking a deep breath.

"Lucille Malfoy is a daughter of Abraxous Malfoy and direct descendent of Pandora Galanos. From what we have discovered through the interrogation of prisoners, she arrived in Greece about five years ago and met with a man named Antonis who is one of the Masters" here Harry stopped to take a breath.

"So, this organisation was in operation all these years?" one of the healers asked.

"Well, from what we gathered, membership of the organisation is hereditary, so it's passed on from father to son, or daughter and members of the group meet periodically. They were not organised for evil-doing however and I think before Lucille Malfoy showed up they were just an ancient organisation, like a history club or something" Harry shrugged.

"Anyway" he continued "After meeting with Antonis and explaining to him who she was, they had begun re-instating the organisation as it was originally intended and recruiting new members as well. In the meantime, they had also done extensive research on Pandora and her creations, reaching as far as to study muggle research on the topic. Their main aim had been to locate the amulet. The deaths we discovered in Egypt, Greece, France and England were all committed to that end" Harry paused yet again.

"Do we know how many members this organisation has now" one of the aurors asked.

"Unfortunately, no. But the number is high. Not even the Masters themselves know how many of them there are, and in which locations. From what we could tell, they're spread over about ten countries" Harry replied.

"What else Harry?" Shaklebolt asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"After Lucille Malfoy found the amulet, she had taken some time to discover exactly how to use it. When she discovered that, she had used to it to drain the magic of several wizards, leaving behind about twelve dead, including one of our own, Seamus Finnigan. There is also speculation that she managed to use the amulet in reverse, presumably to give magic to some of her followers. We have no evidence of that though. This is just what some prisoners believe". Harry finished.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Vercloft snort and shake his head disbelievingly.

"What does she want?" a voice came silently from the corner. Hermione didn't need to look to see that it was Malfoy who had asked the question.

The room was silent for the space of a few minutes.

"She wants power. Magical power. She wants to be the most powerful witch in the world" Harry replied.


	40. Chapter Forty

"Right, but what is her agenda?"

This time the question came from Robbards but Hermione didn't really know what he was talking about. From the look on his face, neither did Harry.

"I'm sorry, agenda?" he asked, rubbing his chin.

Robbards sighed.

"All these people who come up with such nefarious schemes and command legions of followers have some agenda, some drivel to feed to their followers to make them be followed. Promises, to give them things. For example, Voldemort had his pure-blood agenda, he promised that pure-bloods would rule over all magical people. That's how he got an army of pure-bloods to follow him. What's her agenda?" he asked.

Harry looked at Robbards for a few minutes before glancing at Hermione and indicating with an incline of his head that she should try to answer that one.

Hermione considered the question for a moment before answering.

"Well I think for her, it's about becoming powerful and collecting a group of people around her that she can also make more powerful than they already are and for them to follow her. According to some of the prisoner's testimony's, they believe that she gave them magic, that she made them more powerful and they want that. It's probably not as grandiose an agenda as Voldemort's was but she definitely seems more self-centred in what she ultimately wants to achieve" she said carefully weighing her words.

"But is all this actually possible?" healer Jones cut in "As far as research into magical illness has gone, there has never been any indication that it was possible to 'take' another person's magic. All evidence points to the fact that a wizard's magic is bonded to their blood. That's actually the entire premise behind pure-blood supremacy. What you all claim she can do is essentially to separate the magic from the blood of a wizard. It's just not possible" he said.

"But then what about Hermione? You examined her yourself" Shaklebolt asked.

"Minister, there are many reasons as to how and why a witch's magic can become less potent. Injury, age, stress, depression, these are just a few. There is just no tangible evidence to prove that Ms. Granger lost her magical ability because of an object, apart from what she herself says she felt and keeping in mind that she was unconscious because of the crutiatus when this object was used on her" he said.

"And the others who died?" Shaklebolt asked again.

"When a wizard dies, there is no way to discern their magic. They obviously can't perform any. When we found the bodies, we had no reason to analyse if there were any traces of magic on them, so we didn't. Ms. Granger is the only one who survived being taken by these people" Jones explained.

"Isn't it true though that magic sustains the wizard? Isn't that why we tend to live longer than muggles? So, in that case, when there is no magic left in the body of a wizard, they die?" Harry asked.

"Yes, that's true. That's what happens when some wizards get certain forms of cancer like blood cancer. They slowly lose their ability to do magic and they die when they have no magic left in their bodies. But that just proves my point. Illness. Illness can cause loss of magic. If what you say is true or possible somehow, this amulet has unprecedented power, the likes of which no one has ever even heard of" Jones exclaimed.

A throat cleared from the side of the room.

"If I may speak…"

Allen Vercloft had shifted a little in his seat and was sitting a little straighter. Next to him, Malfoy on the other hand had hunched down in his chair and was staring at a point above everyone's heads languidly.

"Mr. Vercloft is one of the wizarding worlds most recognised magical theoriticians. Please…" Harry muttered by way of introducing Vercloft to those who didn't know him and of inviting him to speak.

"I believe that the problem here is that we are labouring under the assumption that a wizard's magic resides only in his or her blood. As healer Jones elaborated most correctly, all medical evidence up to this moment, definitely points in that direction. However, this is not to say that that is unassailable truth".

"The theory that magic is only in the blood can be argued by the simple existence of muggle-borns and squibs born to pure-blood families. A child's DNA comes from his or her parents blood and if magic is bonded to our blood or to our DNA, it follows that all pure-blooded couples should have magical children and yet this is not the case. Additionally, if this were true, there would be no way that muggles could have magical children, and definitely not children as powerful as Ms. Granger over here" Vercloft inclined his head in Hermione's direction.

Hermione gave a little start as her name was mentioned. She had no idea that Vercloft even knew her but then, just as quickly, she realised that her name was all over the briefing file Harry would have handed to everyone there.

And still, Malfoy was pointedly avoiding looking at her even though everyone else glanced in her direction when Vercloft mentioned her name.

"So, you're saying that it's possible that this amulet is genuine?" Shaklebolt asked, scepticism written all over his face.

"Mr. Shaklebolt, magic is a truly wondrous thing, the potential of which we have not yet even begun to scratch the surface of. It is entirely possible that such a device exists" Vercloft raised a hand to stop Jones who had jumped forward again with an interdiction "let me give you a small example; when dark magic in performed on witches and wizards, do we not cure them with charms and spells and potions?" he asked, shifting yet again in his chair.

He was met with silence.

"There is a plausible enough theory that when magic is performed on the body, especially dark magic, that it reacts to the magic in our blood and that is what causes the malady; pain or illness or amnesia whichever. When we perform counter-spells or give remedial potions, what we are doing is essentially pulling that magic out of the body. If we allow that dark magic to run its course through our bodies or if we try to nullify its effects, chances are that the victims could die. So, we pull the dark magic out. Is this not so? In theory at least?" he asked again.

Again, he was met with silence although Jones was muttering mulishly under his breath.

"If this is so," Vercoft continued with a small sigh "then it is entirely possible to pull all magic out of a wizard" he finished and then peered at Jones as if waiting for an argument.

"So, she _can_ make herself more powerful? Our spells won't hurt her?" Harry asked worriedly.

"In theory yes. Of course, how her ancestor managed to collect magical power into a single device and then to transfer magical power to herself or to others via that device is indeed a massive question and no doubt a magnificent feat. I think within this amulet will lie your task" Vercloft replied.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow" Harry said.

"Well, let's assume that she has used the magic that she pulled out of others to make herself more powerful. Then it is entirely plausible that it would be extremely difficult to attack or kill her. Your best course of action would be to destroy the amulet and hence her source of power" Vercloft said, with a small glance at Malfoy.

"Would this amulet be difficult to destroy?" Robbards asked.

"I would assume so, yes. It must be reinforced with the magical power of several wizards by now, if your report is accurate. That would make it extremely difficult to destroy, especially for one wizard. You also have the added difficulty of permeating a blood ward which is undoubtedly protecting it as well" Vercloft replied.

"Won't Malfoy be able to break that though?" Ron asked, still looking extremely calculating.

"Yes, Draco should be able to break through the blood ward" Vercloft replied.

"Right, I would like to know what remedial measures our healers can take in the case of the amulet being used on our aurors in the future" Shaklebolt continued his line of questioning.

"There's really nothing much we can do about the loss of magic except to treat whatever other injuries the victims would have. Injury and blood loss slow down the healing process. Additionally, Mr. Longbottom has agreed to brew us a potion which may help in strengthening magic" Jones replied.

"There is such a thing?" Shaklebolt asked.

"Well, theoretically yes. I've yet to brew it or test it out though. It's a fairly simple potion however and I should have it ready within a fortnight" Neville replied.

"Right. Harry, what is the next move?" Shaklebolt turned towards Harry.

"We're looking into all possible locations that Lucille Malfoy might go to. Primarily we or rather Malfoy's team, is going to look into any property that may have been owned privately by either Abraxous Malfoy or by Francine Arseneau, her mother, that she would have access to. We believe any such property would most probably be in France so that's where Malfoy and his team are headed. Additionally, we learned in interrogation that Lucille Malfoy has several meeting points in France which all need to be raided and secured. Malfoy will be heading that operation in France, along with French officials" Harry replied, going through his file.

Shaklebolt nodded "Took a bit of convincing, that French minister. Reminded me of someone" he said darkly.

Harry hid a smile before continuing.

"We also learned through the prisoners that she has two bases where she regularly meets her followers; one in Egypt and one in Croatia. I am taking a team to Croatia and Ron is heading one to Egypt. We will secure all these locations before meeting again."

"And are you confident you will find her somewhere?" the Greek minister finally spoke up.

"Yes, we are in fact. Ever since she found the amulet, dead bodies have been appearing in her wake. Unless she goes underground completely, we should be able to locate her. It helps now that we know everything there is to know about her" Harry replied, closing his file.

"And you will set out immediately?" Shaklebolt asked.

"Yes" Harry replied.

All this time, while the conversation was going on, Hermione felt a niggling sense of unease, as if something was not quite right. Just as Harry closed his file, she realised what had been bothering her.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arm while the others around her also began closing their files and gathering their things, "what about me?"

"'mione, I'm sorry" Harry replied quietly "You haven't been cleared for field work yet" he smiled tightly in apology.

"But… what does that mean? Where do I go?" she asked in a panic.

"You need to go home Hermione. You need to rest, and you need to heal. The moment you get your clearance back, you can join either one of us, in whichever location seems most promising" he said, keeping his tone quiet.

"But… but Harry…" Hermione struggled to find words to argue.

"I'm sorry Hermione but it's for the best. And you're still mission control. Everything, every single detail we discover will go through you and you will be directing the entire mission, I promise you" Harry said soothingly putting his arm around her.

Hermione sighed deeply and slumped down into her chair.

Bollocks.

She'll just have to insist on taking this stupid medical exam as soon as she gets back to England that's all.

"The ministry thanks you all for your presence. Good luck!" Shaklebolt was saying as Hermione zoned back in to the present "Mr. Malfoy, yours and your team's arrival has already been informed to the French officials".

"Wait, he's leaving right now?" Hermione asked, suddenly sitting up a little straighter.

"Who? Malfoy? Well, yes, time is of the essence 'mione, as you so love to say" Ron said, smiling while putting papers back into his own file.

"But… no wait" Hermione shot up off her chair just as Malfoy was walking out the door, with his team in tow.

"Hermione wait… what?" Ron spoke behind her, but she was already half-way out the door.

"Malfoy!" she shouted as soon as she was out of the room. She could see his tall blond head, heading down a long corridor, surrounded by people. She had to talk to him, to understand or to at least ask what the hell happened last night.

"Malfoy!" she ran out the door and rounded the corner to where she had seen him a two days ago, apparating in.

Just as she came around the corner, Malfoy was getting into position at the apparition spot, his team still standing around him.

He looked up when she burst on to the little grassy knoll, looked directly into her eyes for a fraction of a second.

And then he was gone.


	41. Chapter Forty One

"Um… Hermione?"

Hermione let out a huff and allowed her shoulders to slump.

Malfoy was gone and now Nott, Tracey and about six members of Malfoy's team were standing around, staring at her as if they suspected that she'd gone mad.

Ronald, who had spoken from behind her, sounded as if he agreed with them.

With another sigh, Hermione whirled around and pushed past Ron, striding into the house.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron spoke again from behind her.

"What?" she asked, whirling around again.

Ron held his hands up in defence in front of him.

"Can we speak to you? Me and Harry?" he asked warily.

"Yes, of course you can" Hermione replied impatiently.

Ron gestured towards the drawing room at the end of the hallway and Hermione turned and stomped into it.

Inside, Harry was leaning against a table, a glass of something cold in his hand. Hermione fell into a deep armchair near to where Harry was standing.

Ron walked in behind her and made a beeline to the tall pitcher of lemonade, standing on a side table. He poured a glass for Hermione and one for himself and sat down on a chair facing her.

"Well?" Hermione asked, looking from Ron to Harry.

"You alright 'mione?" Harry asked casually.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Hermione asked with mounting irritation. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

Harry glanced over at Ron who gave a small shrug in reply.

"What's going on with you and Malfoy?" Harry asked, leaning a little towards Hermione as he spoke.

"What's going… What on earth are you talking about? Nothing. Nothing's going on with me and Malfoy!" Hermione shrieked.

"Alright. Alright" Ron held up a hand "You. Drink" he said pointing towards the glass in Hermione's hand, that she was gripping all too tightly "Let's all just take a breath and simmer down" he said calmly, turning his attention back onto the glass in his own hand.

Hermione took his advice and began to drink, her tension slowly dissipating as the cool liquid passed down her throat. Beside her, Harry hopped onto the table, and finished his own drink, feet dangling a few inches off the floor.

What was wrong with her? Why was she being such a prat? Because of Malfoy?

Hermione closed her eyes and held the cool glass against her forehead.

"Right. Now" Ron began, placing his glass on the floor beside him "I saw Malfoy storming out of the library yesterday and I also heard the raised voices before that. Wait..." again, Ron held up a hand to stop Hermione's interruption "I wasn't eavesdropping or checking up on you, I was trying to find the kitchen to make myself a late-night sandwich" he said defensively.

"And today, it was obvious that Malfoy was avoiding you at all costs. We spoke with him this morning and something was off about him, we all saw it. And you just ran after him in front of everyone so… we need to know what's going on" Harry said, fixing Hermione with a stare.

Hermione silently contemplated the intricate design on a flower vase on the table without answering.

"Look 'mione, we know working with him is difficult for you with all your history in the war and at Hogwarts. You've never worked on a case with him either, so we're worried that all this is getting to you" Ron said quietly.

Hermione sighed and allowed her shoulders to fall. She leaned her head back on the chair, closed her eyes and considered her position for a moment.

"Will you please tell us what's going on?" Harry asked.

Hermione opened her eyes. These were her two best friends. Obviously, she was going to tell them everything.

"After we found Seamus and you two talked to me after my little breakdown, me and Malfoy had a chat. I told him what was bothering me about him and… and we had a conversation. I think that was the first time I actually addressed his role in the war and I thought it went well" Hermione said, looking down at her hands "but I had more questions that I needed answered so I asked them last night. But I think I upset him".

"What did you ask him?" Harry asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"About the war, what he did, why he took the mark" she answered, finally looking up at him.

"The mark? You asked him why he took the mark?" Ron asked incredulously before letting out a low whistle and shaking his head.

"What reason did he give?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged "he said that at the beginning, he believed in what he was doing but that afterwards he did it to protect his family. All of it I mean, not just the mark" Hermione said.

"Why do you need to ask him anyway Hermione?" Harry asked with an exasperated sigh, running his hands through his hair "this is all over and done with".

"We work together. And… and it helps me work through my own issues to talk things over" she answered "It's alright though… really. You don't need to be worried about me".

Harry and Ron shared a look that Hermione did not miss.

"What is it you two aren't telling me?" she asked.

"Why were you running after him anyway?" Ron asked, ignoring her question.

"I… I needed to explain something or ask him something…" she trailed off, a streak of red colouring her face.

"Hermione? What is it?" Harry was peering at her closely "What else happened last night?"

Hermione looked back at him steadily for a moment before releasing a loud sigh. She dropped her head into her hands.

"I think he was trying to kiss me" she said, her voice muffled in her hands.

"What?!!" Harry had uncrossed his arms and stood up off the table.

Surprisingly though, Ron merely leaned back in his chair and chuckled with his hand over his eyes.

"I… I don't know, I'm not sure. Maybe that's what he was trying to do. I stepped back and then he just left" Hermione rushed to explain exactly what happened.

"Oh, Malfoy" Ron was still chuckling to himself.

"What? You two know something, tell me what it is right now!!" Hermione's voice was getting alarmingly shrill. Ron actually covered his ears. Harry was pacing a hole in the rug in front of Hermione.

"You honestly don't know? I thought you lot were full of female intuition" Ron asked in mock seriousness.

"Ronald…" Hermione began threateningly.

Ron held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright… alright. He fancies you 'mione. Can't believe you didn't figure that out" he said shaking his head disbelievingly.

Hermione looked from Ron to Harry and then back to Ron again before bursting out in a laugh.

"Right. Like I'm going to believe that. Draco pure-blood-is-best Malfoy, fancies me?" she snickered again.

"You're joking right? Tell me he's joking Harry" she demanded, turning to her bespectacled friend.

Harry stopped his pacing and fixed her with a stare.

"Do you like him?" he asked her in all seriousness.

Ron fell quiet behind him.

"Well… not in that way. I mean, he's different to what he was in school. He's clearly intelligent and he works hard. But I don't… I mean not that I don't like him but…" she trailed off again and looked up at Harry helplessly.

Harry stared down at her, shock and disbelief crossing his features.

"So, you might in the future?" he asked again, quietly.

"I… I don't know… maybe…" Hermione struggled with her conflicting emotions. As much as she wanted to be honest with the boys, she herself was quite at sea with the direction the conversation had taken.

Harry walked slowly back to the table and leaned on it looking utterly defeated. Hermione couldn't understand at all why he was behaving as if the world was ending.

"Harry what's wrong? Is he that bad?" she asked, trying to inject some humour into the situation.

Harry was silent for a few minutes.

"Malfoy?" he asked finally "No, he's not bad. It's just… he's not like us either".

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed and sat down on the chair behind the table, leaning over to look at Hermione.

"You spent some time with the Malfoy's, right? After the war? You were involved in their trials" Ron said, from his chair.

Still Harry was silent.

"What is it Harry? What do you know about Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry looked at her for moment longer as if deciding whether or not to confide in her and Ron.

"After the war" he began finally, "the Malfoy's were brought into the ministry with all the other Death Eater's and their families. I didn't testify at all their trials you know, and I definitely didn't fight as hard as I did for anyone else either. Lucius was too far gone, and I didn't bother with him anyway. Narcissa I had to defend; she saved my life, but it was Draco that really got to me".

Harry paused as if replaying a memory in his head.

"They had tortured him you know, at the Manor. And not just with the crutiatus but also, I think he'd been caned or punched, or both. He had so many scars. None where they could be seen of course but I saw them when he was in his cell. So many…" Harry trailed off as if remembering the sight of Malfoy in the ministry holding cells.

"When I was asking him about the war, he said he's paid with his blood and his sanity. Maybe that was what he was talking about" Hermione whispered, almost to herself.

"He was right" Harry sighed again and passed a hand over his eyes "during Lucius' trial and Narcissa's, actually during almost the entire time he was at the ministry, there was something not quite right about Malfoy. It was almost like he wasn't all there. He didn't talk, he didn't respond to much, he was just in shock or something. That was why it took so long for him to come to trial; almost a month after the others had ended" Harry said, eyes still far away.

"No wonder he and his mum disappeared for all those years" Ron added; he too looking morose.

"It must have been awful" Hermione said, her heart filling with sympathy for everything the young aristocrat might have had to endure during those years "Poor Malfoy".

At those words, Harry seemed to snap to the present again.

"Hermione, you know I trust your judgement. And even though you say there's nothing going on now, I know you, and from the way you've been acting and the way you've been looking at him, I just… I feel there is potential for something" Harry was clearly struggling to find the correct words.

"He clearly has some feelings for you. Even a blind man could see that" Harry said. He opened his mouth again but closed it as if deciding against whatever it was he was going to say.

"You don't like it" Hermione said, seeing right through her best friend.

"No. I don't. I'm sorry. Look, Malfoy has been dealt a bad hand, his childhood, his family, they were all massively fucked up but 'mione, it's not just that. There's a darkness in Malfoy, which is probably not his fault because of all the shite he had to go through, but it's there, I've seen it. I'm just worried that he'll hurt you without even knowing it" Harry said.

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she kept her mouth shut as her mind whirred with everything she had just heard.

"Harry mate, Hermione is an adult and she has more sense in her little finger than we probably do in our whole bodies. She'll be fine" Ron said, placatingly.

"Guys" Hermione said finally, "you're both acting as if I'm going to elope with Malfoy tomorrow which is definitely not going to happen. I don't even like him in that way and I highly doubt he has feelings for me as you say. You are both getting way ahead of yourselves. But, that being said, I'm glad I found out more about him and that we had this talk".

She turned to Harry "Harry, I love you. Thank you for the information and stop worrying. We really have bigger concerns right now other than who fancies whom. Right?" she asked with her hands on Harry's shoulders.

Harry looked up at her and smiled tightly "Right. I just wanted to get this out in the open before we separated on our missions. I doubt I'll have time to talk about this again until the case is solved. Just… just promise me you'll be careful".

"Right. I promise I'll be careful around Malfoy. You two really should be getting ready to leave. What time…"

Hermione's words were cut short by a knock on the door.

"Come in" Harry called.

The door opened and Allen Vercloft sidled in. He nodded shortly at Harry and Ron before turning to Hermione.

"Ms. Granger, if I may have a word in private…"


	42. Chapter Forty Two

"How may I help you Mr. Vercloft?"

Hermione had walked over to the door of the drawing room when Harry and Ron had made their exits, muttering about preparations. She had closed the door behind them, taken a deep breath and made her way back to the chair she was seated on earlier. She spoke while sinking into the armchair and appraising the middle-aged man in front of her.

Allen Vercloft was appraising her right back it appeared.

He was a short, wiry man with a shock of black hair, not unlike Harry's, although with liberal sprinklings of grey amongst the black. He wore thick framed glasses and behind those glasses were expressive, dark eyes that were both intelligent and soft. Vercloft was clad in muggle clothing; navy pants, white button-down shirt and light blue tie. If she had met him on the street, Hermione would never have guessed that he was a wizard.

While she noted this, she became painfully aware that in contrast, she looked more like a witch than anything, in her heavy black work robes and boots, her auror badge glinting in the sunlight streaming in through the window. Apart from feeling the heat, with a pang, she also realised that she was quite hungry, having missed breakfast due to her tardiness. She hoped that whatever it was that Vercloft wished to speak to her about, would be over soon so that she could eat something before port-keying back home.

"Ms. Granger, it is an honour to meet you. I have read all about your exploits with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley" Vercloft began.

"Please, call me Hermione, and thank you, although I feel the honour is all mine. I have read all your books and I've always wanted to come and meet you but work always got in the way" Hermione finished ruefully.

Vercloft chuckled.

"I see very few people outside of my work, as I'm sure you already know" he said "I won't take much of your time, as I know you must be quite busy. I'll get straight to the point, if that's alright with you?" he asked mildly.

"Yes, of course. Please" Hermione replied, leaning in slightly, sensing that the older man was going to say something important.

"I tried this morning, to explain something to Mr. Potter but I doubt he understood the importance of what I was trying to say" Vercloft began "I have been studying the case file that you have complied, and I have also questioned Draco and Mr. Nott quite thoroughly and I have arrived at a somewhat crucial conclusion that pertains to your case".

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

"The amulet, when you destroy it, I feel that it must be destroyed by Draco but, I also know most certainly that he will not be able to destroy it alone" Vercloft said, he too leaning forward and peering at Hermione seriously.

"Because of the blood ward?" Hermione asked.

Vercloft considered her a moment before leaning back in his chair again and steepling his fingers under his chin.

"Hermione, what do you know about core magic?" he asked, glancing at her as he spoke.

"Not much I'm afraid. I have a basic understanding that I got reading about it but nothing very substantial" Hermione replied.

"Right, well basically, the theory is that each person's magic or magical signature, if you will, is unique. So, for example if you and I cast the same spell, the properties of the spell would vary. Not by much of course, but in small degrees. Now, a long time ago, people believed that each witch and wizard had their own unique core magic which is the source of their magical power. It was also believed that within families, this core magic was very similar, the differences almost negligible. Old pure-blood families believed very much in core magic and based much of their wards on it" Vercloft explained while Hermione listened intently.

"This is also the reason pure-bloods believed in marriage between themselves as they believed that this process strengthened their core magic" Vercloft paused here and took a deep breath.

"These theories have not been universally tested or proven but I feel that there is merit in the theories on core magic. Not that it is strengthened by intermarriage between pure-bloods or that pure-bloods have stronger core magic, that is nonsense but, magic that flows between families do share similar signatures" he said and leaned back as if waiting now for Hermione to ask questions.

"Alright. I follow you but what does this have to do with the amulet?" she asked.

"Well, if Pandora put most of her magic into this device and into the spells and charms and wards surrounding it, I feel strongly that in order to destroy it, you will require someone who possesses similar core magic. It is slightly more complex than breaking down a blood ward" he replied.

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Draco would essentially be able to break down the blood ward protecting the amulet by using his own blood. After that, the amulet could still prove to be impossible to destroy, through magical or any other means, without being able to get through to the core of its magic, or at least the core magic of the person who created it" Vercloft replied.

Hermione considered this for a moment.

"So, you're saying that only Malfoy would be able to destroy it because he carries traces of the same core magic?" she asked

"In theory, yes. But in practice, I doubt it" he replied cryptically.

"I don't understand. Why won't Malfoy be able to destroy the amulet?" she asked quizzically.

"Because his core magic is weakened" Vercloft replied quietly.

"What?" Hermione asked, "The amulet wasn't used on him".

"Hermione, you were listening to what healer Jones was saying, there are many reasons for the weakening of a wizard's magic" Vercloft replied.

"Please explain" Hermione said, sitting back in the chair herself and crossing her arms over her chest. It appeared she would have to forgo breakfast.

Vercloft sighed and was silent for a moment.

"You know of Draco's past yes?" he asked inquiringly.

"Yes" Hermione replied, eyes lowering slightly.

"He has experienced much physical and emotional pain. When he came to me, even though the fire of his knowledge was burning bright, his magic could not keep up. I daresay his magic has strengthened considerably since then but, I fear Draco will never be able to achieve his full potential as a wizard. I do believe he would have been as powerful a wizard as yourself, had he been able to escape his past" Vercloft explained ruefully.

"I also believe that the amulet has extremely strong magic at its core. Too much of it for Draco to be able to destroy" he continued.

"He won't be strong enough to destroy the amulet" Hermione said in a rush of realisation. It had just dawned on her what Vercloft was trying to say.

"No" Vercloft agreed "You must ensure when the time comes, that someone assists Draco, or he will not succeed. What's more, depending on the power of the amulet, he may even die in attempting to destroy it".

"What? Why?" Hermione asked, alarmed.

"Ancient dark artefacts are commonly built in such a way that they can destroy those that try to destroy them. Again, Draco must destroy it, but not alone" Vercloft said with a sigh.

"Does he know?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"Yes. I explained this to him, but he can be stubborn" Vercloft muttered, running a hand through his hair.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"How did Malfoy get a place with you? I know you only take a few students every few years" Hermione asked mildly, looking around for a less gloomy topic of conversation.

Vercloft smiled at her question.

"Draco wrote to me almost incessantly during his final year at Durmstrang. He had gotten his professors to write me recommendations as well. What convinced me to give him a chance however was when he asked me, in a letter, whether he would be able to ever get rid of his Dark Mark. I sensed a note of desperation in that letter along with a steely determination to carry on. When I met him, I was struck by the same thing. Draco had lost everything, but he was still fighting, still desperate to learn more" he said.

Hermione considered that for a minute.

" _Is_ there a way to get rid of the Dark Mark?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"I'm afraid not. As long as there is magic in Draco, the mark will be there" Vercloft said.

Again, there was silence as Hermione thought of a way to politely take her leave.

"The same is true of your scar as well I'm afraid" he spoke again, rubbing his chin.

Hermione's head jerked up.

"My scar? How do you know about that" her hand went automatically to the scar hidden under her robes, on her forearm.

Vercloft fixed her with an unreadable look before replying.

"Draco told me. It was the first thing he asked me to teach him how to heal. I always assumed he wanted to help you get rid of it".


	43. Chapter Forty Three

"For Merlin's sake will you stop walking away and talk to me damnit".

Draco Malfoy was striding along a narrow hallway on the second floor of a medium sized town house in Nice, France that once belonged to Francine Arseneau.

Well, striding as fast as he could while also leaning on a cane for support.

Behind him, Theodore Nott scrambled to catch up.

Ever since they had apparated into France two days ago and had begun work, Theo had been trying to get Draco alone to question him. Draco however, was not at all in the mood for a serious talk about what had transpired in Greece and therefore, had somehow managed to slip away each time.

Today however, it appeared that Theo would finally corner him.

Draco stopped in front of the last door at the end of the hallway and began to test for wards or traces of Dark Magic. Theo came huffing up beside him a few minutes later and began to do the same.

Finally, in the absence of any such impediments, Draco opened the door and walked in.

The room had apparently been used as an office. A few shelves lined the walls and a small writing table overlooked a small window. There was a layer of dust over everything indicating that no one had used the room in a long time.

During their investigations in France, they had discovered that Lucille Malfoy had lived in this house belonging to her mother up until the time she had gone to Greece five years ago. However, apart from numerous notes detailing the master's organization and the amulet, Draco's team had not found any other information that might inform them of Lucille's whereabouts at present.

A separate investigation had however unveiled two properties that had been bought by Abraxous Malfoy during the time he was said to be in the throes of his affair with Francine. They had been bought under pseudonyms, but the money used to buy the properties had been traced back to the Malfoy family vault at Gringotts. Tracey was with a team at one of those locations at that very moment.

Draco sighed. They had obviously wasted their time here.

He turned to leave after a cursory glance at his surroundings.

"Wait"

The door slammed shut behind him.

Draco smirked.

"Really Theo? You're going to lock me in a room to get me to talk?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

Theo grinned "Perhaps if you would just talk to me, I wouldn't have to take such drastic measures" he countered.

Draco's lips turned upward in another smirk before his shoulders sagged in acquiescence "Fair enough" he said and limped over to the desk where he leaned a hip "but be warned that I might not be inclined to answer all your questions".

"Oh, don't worry I only have the two" Theo replied, while brushing off the dust on one of the armchairs.

"First, what did Vercloft have to say to you that was so confidential, I had to leave the room? And Second, why were you running away from Granger?" Theo settled into his seat and looked at Draco expectantly.

"I wasn't running away from Granger" Draco huffed.

"You were but let's circle back to that. Tell me what Vercloft wanted the night before the meeting" Theo said.

"Nothing that you don't already know. He was just discussing things that he felt I needed to know to destroy the amulet" Draco said evasively.

"I can tell there's more to it" Theo said shaking his head.

Draco gave an exaggerated shrug "Think what you wish. He was explaining to me the properties of the amulet. And giving me information that would help me destroy it".

"And he didn't give this information to Potter and Weasley?" Theo asked sceptically.

Again, Draco shrugged "I wouldn't know if he did".

Theo was silent for a minute and Draco could tell that he was weighing Draco's answers and debating on whether or not to question further.

Finally, he sighed.

"Fine. Tell me what happened with Granger" Theo asked, leaning back in the dusty chair.

Draco was silent this time, eyes on the ground, absently rubbing his chin. He knew that what happened with Granger that night was a mortifying secret that he wanted to take to the grave. On the other hand, he knew that Theo would not stop asking and that he wouldn't mind a second perspective.

Additionally, Draco's knowledge of matters pertaining to the fairer sex was practically non-existent, a fact that very few people knew.

He only had one girlfriend at Hogwarts; Pansy, and even that was an awfully strange relationship given who he was and that he was under extreme stress while it was playing out due to the situation at home. She was more like a lackey than an actual girlfriend. After he left school, apart from a few isolated incidents, he had had almost no female companionship.

His and Astoria's engagement was a pure sham as well.

Perhaps he should confide in Theo.

"I met her in the library the night before the meeting. We… talked" he said quietly.

"About?" Theo asked.

"Well, about my engagement, about Astoria and… and about the war" he said hesitatingly.

Theo whistled in a low tone.

"You never even talk to me about the war" he said accusingly.

Draco shot him a look of pure venom to indicate that he wasn't about to start now.

Theo held his hands up in mock surrender.

"So, it was a quiet heart to heart" he asked, in all seriousness.

Draco smirked "Not quiet, no. We had quite the shouting match actually, accusations flying on all sides" he shrugged "But we reached a sort of consensus I guess".

Theo looked at him shrewdly "Then why were you avoiding her?"

Draco looked back at the ground at rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably for a minute.

"I may have tried to kiss her" he muttered almost unintelligibly.

"Merlin" Theo whispered, "but why Draco?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time" Draco muttered even more unintelligibly.

"Have you absolutely taken leave of your senses Draco?" Theo sounded beyond incredulous "It's a wonder she didn't hex you into the next week. Bloody hell, this is Hermione Granger we're talking about. Didn't she break your nose in third year?" he asked.

Draco shrugged.

"Were you hoping for a repeat performance?" Theo asked mockingly.

"Alright. Alright" Draco drew himself up to his full height "I may have misjudged the situation a bit. It's not the end of the world and… and she wouldn't dare hex me" he stated with a whole lot more confidence than he had felt that night.

"You keep telling yourself that" Theo said with a guffaw "But honestly" he said becoming serious all of a sudden "Why did you try to kiss her?"

Draco sighed and looked to the ceiling, dropping his hand from his neck.

"I don't know Theo" he said quietly "I honestly don't… I don't know what came over me. She was standing so close to me I… I don't know".

Draco sighed long and deep.

"You know me, I don't really know about these things I… I guess I just got caught up in the moment" he finished in a small huff.

Theo sighed and got up from his seat.

"Draco my friend, I honestly don't know what to tell you. This isn't just some ordinary woman you can expect to put the moves on" he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I know that" Draco finally met Theo's eyes "You know I don't really expect this to go anywhere right? I don't believe that there is any way this would work, especially now. I'm fine to just let it be an infatuation of sorts on my end which will eventually diminish".

Theo sighed again and looked directly at Draco for a moment as if to gauge the depth of feeling in the latter's eyes.

After a moment, he gave a short nod.

"I'm sorry mate" he said contritely.

"It's…"

Whatever Draco had been about to say was cut off by the arrival of Tracey's raven patronus.

"Found something. Come immediately".


	44. Chapter Forty Four

Hermione Granger strode through the hallways of the ministry trying very hard to control her anger. However, for anyone glancing up from their workstations at the irate witch, it was quite clear that she was on the verge of a massive temper tantrum.

Parts of her hair had tumbled out of the bun at the nape of her neck. Although her auror robes were neat and tidy, they had a windblown look to them. Additionally, Hermione was clutching her wand so tight that her knuckles had turned white. She had a grim look on her face and her visage had lost most of its colour.

Three days.

It had been three bloody days and they were still refusing to allow Hermione to take the medical test that would qualify her for the ministry test that would put her back in the field.

Hermione fumed as she walked.

Harry had already raided three locations in Croatia and taken many prisoners although there had been no sight of Lucille Malfoy. Ron on the other hand had found two murdered wizards who had no apparent cause of death, indicating that the erstwhile witch was actually in Egypt. However, the raids that he had conducted had turned up empty; no prisoners and no evil witches. Heck, even Malfoy had made discoveries while she was sitting at home twiddling her thumbs.

This was her case, they had no right to keep her at home.

Hermione had read each case report with growing agitation, anger and resentment.

The first day back, she had rested and refrained from performing magic unless absolutely necessary, in case they asked her to come in for the test. By the second day, she was standing in front of Healer Jones' office, demanding to be let in to take the test. On the morning of the third day, she had tried to get hold of Robbards but he appeared to be avoiding her. By noon, she had had enough.

So, here she was, heading towards the Minister's office to demand that Shaklebolt order Healer Jones to test her.

Finding that she had arrived at her desired location, Hermione determinedly strode over to Shaklebolt's secretary.

"Linda, please tell Shaklebolt that I would like a word with him immediately" Hermione said, smiling through her gritted teeth.

Linda, Shaklebolt's mousy secretary, peered at Hermione through thick glasses.

"I'm sorry Hermione, Shaklebolt is not to be disturbed right now. He's with some guests from Romania. They're discussing this years Quidditch world cup. And, he's completely booked with meetings all though today" Linda spoke slowly, enunciating each word, sending Hermione's annoyance ratcheting higher.

"Well I will only be a minute Linda" Hermione replied equally slowly "So, please pencil me in somewhere. Preferably after this meeting".

"Oh, I don't know how long this will take" Linda said, her eyes widening innocently.

"Then I will wait" Hermione said with a sweet and utterly fake smile.

"But…"

Hermione didn't wait for what came after 'but'. She turned on her heel and stalked over to the straight-backed chairs set up opposite the entrance to the minister's door and sat down.

She didn't have to wait overly long.

Within thirty minutes, Shaklebolt's door opened and the minister himself walked out with two foreign looking gentlemen. They spoke just outside the door, laughing amiably from time to time until Shaklebolt finally shook their hands and sent them on their way.

As soon as Hermione saw the handshake, she jumped up and slowly approached the minister, dawdling in the background until the guests left.

"Minister! I need to speak with you immediately" she spoke up as soon as the guests had turned to leave.

"Hermione" Shaklebolt exclaimed, mildly surprised "What can I do for you? Is it something about the case?"

"Well… yes and no. Sort of. Can I speak to you in your office?" she asked, glancing sideways at Linda.

"Yes, of course. Linda, please hold my floo" Shaklebolt called as he held the door of his office open for Hermione.

"Minister, I must insist that you ask Healer Jones to test my magic" Hermione said in one breath as soon as the door closed behind her.

Shaklebolt remained silent until he was seated at his desk. He leaned back and considered Hermione through narrowed eyes.

"I believe Healer Jones asked for a week for you to rest. It's only been what? Four days? Five?" he asked mildly.

"Yes. But minister, you must listen to me. I know I can pass this test now. I'm wasting so much time here when I could be helping either team working on the case" she said earnestly, leaning forward in her chair.

Shaklebolt chuckled.

"Hermione, this isn't a test for you to pass or fail. It is a medical examination to determine whether or not you are fit enough for field work. You cannot 'pass' this test through sheer will" he said with a smile.

"I understand that" Hermione conceded "but, I can feel my magic getting stronger minister, I honestly feel that I can be of some use out there".

"I don't doubt that you would be of much use to the boys. I'm just concerned for your wellbeing. We are responsible for your life you know. If there is even the slightest possibility that you would be in danger because of our oversight, I will not stand for it" Shaklebolt spoke slightly more seriously this time.

Hermione was silent, mentally arranging her argument.

"Hermione, please. I understand your impatience and I too do not like to keep you here when you are one of our best resources. But, you need to understand that what happened to you has never happened to any wizard before and therefore we are dealing with the unknown. We must tread carefully" Shaklebolt said, his tone even more serious.

"What if I just join one of the teams and not go on any raids?" she asked.

"What use would that be?" Shaklebolt asked "Whatever you do there then can be done just as well here" he said with an air of finality.

"What if I take the test now and if I fail, we can always try again in three days" she asked.

Shaklebolt sighed.

"Hermione, this is a pointless task you are suggesting. Your magic receded. Healer Jones has asked you to rest for a week. Is that so difficult?" he asked, giving her a piercing look.

Hermione looked down at her hands mulishly.

Shaklebolt sighed.

"Go back to your office and do some research. Help the boys in any way you can. In three days' time, you can take the test and join them" this time, Shaklebolt's tone left no doubt as to whether the conversation was closed. He even began moving files on his desk to indicate that there was nothing more to discuss.

Hermione got to her feet with an effort.

"Yes sir. Thank you" she muttered.

A few minutes later, she was back at her desk staring unseeingly at the new reports on it.

There were two files, one from Harry and one from Ron.

Harry's file was rather long as one of the prisoners they had interrogated had informed them that Lucille Malfoy was scouting for new safehouses and beginning to experiment with the amulet. There was also information that she had now formed a close group of followers who were with her at all times for her protection. The prisoner that Harry had interrogated believed that Lucille was strengthening the magic of those followers using the amulet.

Ron's file was a little more concise. Hermione rubbed her temples as she read Ron's report on the empty building that he had raided today and a small section on the coroner's report on the dead wizards.

Hermione sighed in defeat.

They were no where close to finding Lucille Malfoy or the amulet. It was as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth. Despite Harry's assurances to the Greek minister that she would be found, it appeared that she was quite successful in hiding herself.

The only think they could be assured of for now was that she needed wizards to drain of their magic. However, following a trail of dead body's was not a path Hermione was willing to take.

And still, she couldn't join her team.

With a growl, Hermione picked up a snow globe paperweight off her desk and threw it at the wall opposite her office. It hit the wall with a thud and fell to the floor.

"Everything alright?"

A young girl with bright red hair popped her head in from Hermione's door.

"No. Nothing is alright" Hermione replied with her eyes on the paperweight she had just thrown.

"Oh" the girl said, her smile fading.

This was Amelie, one of the auror assistants assigned to help senior aurors on their cases. She was a bright Ravenclaw just out of Hogwarts. On a normal day, Hermione quite liked her. Today, she was just annoyed by everything and everyone.

"Amelie, is this all my mail?" Hermione asked, looking up sceptically at the young girl.

"Yup" Amelie replied, her smile coming back.

"That can't be. I don't have Malfoy's report here" Hermione asked, waving her hand over her desk in a grand gesture of annoyance.

"Malfoy? oh well obviously… wait… you don't know?" Amelie's bright blue eyes scrunched in confusion.

"What?" Hermione glanced up at the auror again "Know what?"

"Malfoy… he was injured really bad in France. They transferred him to St. Mungo's last night. I thought you knew".


	45. Chapter Forty Five

THUMP

Hermione had run head first into something tall and solid.

She stumbled back and peered up at the tall man, who was now taking his spectacles off and sending a long-suffering sigh in her direction.

"Ms. Granger I really must insist…"

"Healer Jones! So sorry to bump into you like this" Hermione cut in "Would you know which room Draco Malfoy is in?" she asked giving him a winning smile.

The last time they had met, Hermione had rather harried the older healer and although the injustice of not being given the medical test still rankled, Hermione was determined not to get on his bad side.

Healer Jones opened his mouth and then closed it again, considering Hermione with some annoyance.

"He's on the fourth floor. You'll have to get a room number from one of the healers there I'm afraid. He was transferred there a little while ago" Healer Jones replied.

"Right. Thank you!" Hermione said, a little too enthusiastically, going by the look of suspicion on healer Jones' face.

Without waiting for further conversation, Hermione hurried towards the stairs that would take her to the fourth floor. She could have taken the lift, but she was not in the mood to bump into anyone she knew. Apart from hating the pitying looks she got from anyone who knew her 'condition', she was also hesitant to explain why she was visiting Draco Malfoy in the hospital.

Not that there was anything wrong with one colleague visiting another colleague in hospital, but still.

It was only when she had pushed the door open to the fourth floor that she realised that Malfoy was probably being kept company by his mother.

Hermione paused with her hand on the door, grimacing at the thought of making small talk with Narcissa Malfoy.

Maybe she shouldn't…

"Hey Hermione!" a voice called from the side.

Hermione groaned silently before turning. Luckily, it was only Tracey.

"Hello Tracey" Hermione smiled, "Visiting Malfoy?"

"Oh, yeah. I just left his room. They gave him a sleeping drought" Tracey replied.

"How is he?" Hermione asked, sidling a little out of the way of the door.

"Well, his condition is stable, which is good considering how they brought him in" Tracey said, leaning tiredly against the wall.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"Well you know how we found those properties belonging to Abraxous right? Well, we triggered a ward when we went in. I mean, we disabled most of them but obviously missed one. I felt it trigger and we were on alert for an attack, but nothing came. We stood in full assault position for over an hour but there was nothing. So, I figured no one was paying any attention to the wards so we just began searching".

Tracey paused as a group of medi-witches walked past them.

"Anyway, no one was there but in one room of the house, I found some notes and some blueprints. I needed to show them to Draco, so I sent him a patronus" Tracey paused again and ran a hand over her hair, tucking strands behind her ear.

"What happened then?" Hermione prompted her gently.

"They attacked about five minutes after Draco arrived. You wouldn't believe it Hermione, they all ascended on him. About fifteen wizards all attacking Draco simultaneously. It's a miracle he got out alive, more than half of the curses flying at him were killing curses" Tracey's eyes had turned dark.

"He fought them all like he was possessed but in seconds he was overpowered, it took our entire team to break their attack formation. Theo's pretty badly hurt too, he's still in France though, he should be arriving here any minute" Tracey continued.

"But why…" Hermione's question died on her lips as she realised the answer.

"They must know by now right? Who he is? They must think he's after the amulet. They want him dead. Apart from Lucille Malfoy, he's the only one who can control it" Tracey muttered, eyes staring forward unseeing.

"Yes" Hermione replied, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach "That means it's not safe for Malfoy anymore, especially if they know he's going to destroy the amulet".

"Or use it" Tracey cut in.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"The amulet. Maybe they think that Draco is going to use it. Keep it for himself" Tracey said, glancing up at Hermione.

"Why on earth would they think that?" Hermione asked.

"Well, given who he is, that would a possibility right?" Tracey asked with a shrug.

Hermione rolled that thought around in her head for a minute.

"Malfoy wouldn't do that" she said finally.

"Yes, _we_ know that but then I've know Draco since Hogwarts, I've seen him go through his paces. For anyone who asked around about the heir to the Malfoy fortune, Draco would just be an ex Death Eater who took the Mark at sixteen, brought his Death Eater Friends into a school, and tried to murder his Headmaster. There are very few people who know Draco, I mean _really_ know him" Tracey explained.

"So, you think that they think Malfoy is another evil wizard?" Hermione asked, leaning on the wall herself.

"Probably" Tracey replied before yawning and picking herself up from the wall against which she had been leaning "I need sleep and some food, and I'll get a report to you this afternoon… or tomorrow morning" Tracey said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh, that's fine. You should rest" Hermione replied.

"Thanks Hermione. I'll see you around" Tracey began to move towards the lift "Hey, are you here to see Draco?" she asked, turning around again.

"Oh, well… I thought… maybe I should look in" Hermione stammered.

"He's on the last room down that hall" Tracey pointed down a corridor to their right "He's sleeping now though, so you might want to come back later".

"Yes, and I'm sure there are people there…" Hermione trailed off, glancing from the corridor leading to Malfoy's room to Tracey.

"No, he's alone actually. I'll be back to see him soon as I take a nap" Tracey replied.

"Alone? What about his mother?" Hermione asked Tracey's receding back.

"Narcissa?" Tracey turned back to Hermione "She's in Austria visiting some friends. She left when the whole Greengrass situation blew up. I think she's planning on hiding out there till it calms down a bit" Tracey said with a chuckle.

"But… but wouldn't she want to be with him?" Hermione asked.

"No, I think Draco's exact words were 'call her if and only if I die'" Tracey grinned.

Hermione blanched.

"Oh, I'm serious, he actually said that" Tracey said matter-of-factly "Bye Hermione".

With a wave, Tracey was gone, and Hermione watched her leave, mulling over in her head whether she should walk down the corridor or not.

Well, if he's asleep, what's the harm?

She stopped in the front of the door that had a small nameplate fixed to the wall alongside it.

Malfoy, Draco.

Hermione took a breath and pushed open the door.

From her spot, she could see that Malfoy had his head turned away from the door. His sheets had been pushed down to his waist and his right leg was suspended.

Next to him, a medi-witch was checking off a list on her clipboard and placing vials of potions on the little side table near his bed.

She looked up just as Hermione poked her head in through the door.

"I'm sorry. Should I come back another time?" Hermione asked in a loud whisper.

With a gesture indicating that she should wait, the medi-witch consulted her list one more time before placing another lavender coloured vial on the table. She then walked over to Hermione.

"Mr. Malfoy has been given a sleeping drought. I was just keeping the potions that he must take when he wakes up. You're welcome to stay" the medi-witch said to Hermione with a kind smile.

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked in a low tone.

"Well, he's stable for now, broken bones have been mended, cuts and bruises healed. We're honestly just worried about his leg now" she replied.

"What happened to his leg?" Hermione asked, her voice dropping to a whisper again.

The medi-witch considered her for a moment "You are…?"

"I'm an auror. I'm working on the same case as Malfoy" Hermione said in a rush.

"Are you… Hermione Granger?" the witch asked after a moment.

"Yes" Hermione said, for once thankful for her celebrity status.

"Oh, well, he'd already been hit in that leg with some paralysing curse in Greece. His medical chart says that the healer who treated him there gave him some potions to take to manage it, but it doesn't appear that Mr. Malfoy has been taking them. He was also hit with another dark curse yesterday that seems to be having some sort of reaction to the paralysing curse. We can't seem to be able to pull it out of him" the medi-with spoke quietly, glancing every so often at her patient.

"So, it's still numb?" Hermione asked, she too looking over at him.

"No. That leg is causing him immense pain at the moment, that's the problem. We've given him as much pain medication as we safely can but it's not taking away the pain, just reducing it somewhat. That's why we had to give him a strong sleeping drought along with it" the medi-witch replied sombrely.

Hermione didn't know what to say to that, so she just nodded.

"If you are staying, can you please make sure that Mr. Malfoy takes his potions when he wakes up?" the medi-witch asked.

"Oh, I probably won't stay that long" Hermione replied softly.

The medi-witch nodded at that and left, leaving Hermione standing just inside the door.

After a moments hesitation, Hermione walked over to the other side of the bed. What she saw made her heart sink.

Harry was right.

Draco Malfoy was covered in scars.

There were thin silvery ones, mostly faded, that Hermione surmised were those left by Harry's _Sectumsempra_ curse. There were others, black, twisted and raised like whip marks, curving around his torso. Red, angry ones stood out from the rest, the ones that had been healed most recently. Malfoy's upper body was a tapestry of lines and marks and scars, each one screaming in painful memory.

Hermione shuddered.

They _were_ all children in the war.

Even Malfoy.

Tears prickled the backs of Hermione's eyes as she contemplated what the sixteen-year-old Malfoy would have had to endure during those years.

He was just a boy.

Moving her eyes with an effort, from his chest to his face, Hermione noticed another thin scar, red and new, starting from the top of his left ear, cutting across his eyebrow and into his hairline.

Without thinking, Hermione's hand lifted, and her index finger traced that scar up to his forehead, where her fingers lingered, almost unconsciously.

All of a sudden, Hermione's chest was flooded with a wave of emotion so strong, it made her heart ache with the pain she imagined the young man in front of her would have had to bear all these years.

Her eyes closed, and with a shaking sigh, she gently sat on the bed next to the prone Draco Malfoy.

She would wait.


	46. Chapter Forty Six

Pain.

It felt as if someone was shredding his leg with a dagger over and over again.

Draco rolled his head back and forth on the pillow trying to shake off the searing ache.

All of a sudden, there was a soft warm hand on his forehead, temporarily distracting him from the sensation in his right calf.

His eyes flew open.

Very near to his face, brow furrowed in concern, was the face of Hermione Granger.

Before his mind could fully appreciate the fact that she was at his bedside (sitting on his bed no less), Granger had stumbled off, shocked at his sudden awakening.

Draco's distraction lasted only those few precious seconds however, and a moment later, his eyes had closed in reaction to the pain in his leg.

"Malfoy! Are you alright?" Granger's voice came to him through the haze of his agony.

He could only manage a grunt in response.

"Merlin, you need to take this" Granger was stumbling with something on his bedside table. A moment later, the soft warm hand was at the back of his head, pulling him up gently. Draco's eyes fluttered open momentarily as a vial of potion was held up to his lips. He drank it in one gulp and a second later, Granger was back with another one.

After the third vial, she gently laid his head back down and turned to consult a chart that had been left on the table.

Appearing to be satisfied that she had given him all the potions he had to take, Granger then stepped back and eyed him apprehensively.

Draco closed his eyes and waited for the waves of pain to wane.

What was she doing here?

A few moments later, the pain in his leg had subsided into dull ache; still there but somewhat distantly.

Draco sighed and opened his eyes, wiping the sheen of sweat off his forehead.

"Is it better?" Granger asked.

"Yes. The pain is less" Draco made a movement to sit up and suddenly realised that his bed clothes had been pushed down to his waist while the healers had worked on his injuries. He pulled the sheets up in one sweep, dropping his eyes as a wave of shame passed through him. Very few people had seen his scars and he definitely wasn't ready to allow this particular witch to see them. Although it seemed she already had.

She had taken a step forward when he had moved but seemed to falter when he looked back up again.

"What brings you here Granger?" Draco asked tightly.

"I… I only heard a few hours ago that you had been injured. I came to see how you were" she replied softly.

They stared at each other for what felt like an uncomfortably long time.

Finally, Draco nodded "I'm alright, apart from my leg. I told Tracey to send you a report" Draco said, relaxing onto the bed fractionally.

"Yes, I met Tracey" Granger's voice had become slightly stronger "She told me what happened".

"Do you know where Theo is?" Draco asked suddenly remembering his friend.

"Yes, he arrived about an hour ago. He's in a room a few doors down. They healed his injuries and said he should be fine in about a day" Granger replied.

Draco mulled this in his head for a while. He had last seen Theo just before he blacked out. Theo had been bleeding from his head and lying a few feet away from him. At the time, Draco had felt genuine fear for the safety of his friend.

"An hour ago? How long have you been here?" he asked curiously.

"Well… about three hours. I… you were sleeping when I came and then the medi-witch asked me to make sure you took your potions when you woke up so…" Granger floundered, looking everywhere but at him.

"So, you waited?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, yes. You were injured working on the case. None of the others are here so… so I stayed" she finished, looking steadily at a spot above his head.

"Besides" she looked at him "with all that's happened, I also had to sort out your security detail and I did that from here, so I did manage to get some work done".

"Security detail? What?" Draco was at a complete loss.

"Well, now that we know that they are attacking you specifically, we need to make sure you're safe. We know these people are ruthless and will kill anyone who gets in their way, so we need to protect you" while she was talking, Granger had sidled closer to the bed and now leaned against it, looking down at him.

"And just how is the ministry going to do that?" Draco asked curiously.

"Well, you will have an auror assigned to you at all times for your security. Tracey informed me that you could also have people from your team cover you as well" Granger answered.

"An auror? Are you insane? How am I supposed to work on the case with an auror hanging over my shoulder all the time? Trust me Granger, I can take care of myself" Draco knew that this tantrum would have been all the more impressive if he could have swept out of the room as he said this, but owing to his condition, the most he could manage was to cross his arms over his chest petulantly.

"You most definitely cannot. Not with your leg and your injuries and besides you're vital to the case, we can't let anything happen to you" Granger's tone matched his in petulance.

"So, this is about the case? Can't let anyone kill me until I do the job?" Draco didn't fully understand why he was so angry and being so confrontational, but he assumed it had something to do with the fact that she had seen his scars and now he felt exposed and vulnerable.

And he hated it.

"You know that's not true. This isn't just about the case. We wouldn't let anything happen to you anyway" Granger insisted, leaning in further.

Draco huffed and blew his hair off his face.

"So, who's protecting me now?" he asked with a sardonic smirk.

"Well, I am" Granger replied quietly "I mean, I know I'm not much use right now because of my magic but I'm still a fully trained auror and I'm here now" she rushed to explain "We have another auror coming to take my place in a bit".

Draco felt his anger drain "You're protecting me?" he asked with an eyebrow raised and his smirk becoming more of a smile.

Granger eyed him for a moment as if challenging him to say something insulting but then she too smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Git" she muttered before perching on the edge of his bed.

Draco was slightly taken aback by the familiarity of her actions. Certainly, no pure-blood witch would have perched on the edge of his bed in that manner. He was rather conflicted in how he felt about it all.

"So, tell me about those blueprints Tracey found" Granger said conversationally.

Draco sighed and rubbed his face for a minute clearing his head.

"Do you know about places that used to be called sites of ancient magic?" he asked her.

"Yes. Early on, wizards believed that certain geographical locations were more susceptible to magical forces. They built significant buildings in those places because they believed that the location improved the force of magic being done there. Am I right?" she asked.

"You are correct" Draco agreed "Even Hogwarts is said to have been built on a site of ancient magic. Anyway, Tracey had apparently found notes on such sites at one of Grandfather's properties. In that same file, she had found blueprints of buildings. There was no information on where these buildings were, but I think it's safe to assume that Lucille is doing research on ancient sites of magic so that she could maybe use the amulet in one of those places".

"With what purpose though? To increase its power?" Granger mused aloud.

"Or to experiment with it. I don't think even she knows the full extent of the amulets capabilities" Draco replied.

"So, they're real then? Ancient sites of magic?" Granger asked, peering at him curiously.

"Well there is no empirical evidence obviously, but I feel there is some truth to it. Although, that may be due to geography rather than actual ancient magic" Draco replied.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, if you have a place where for centuries, magic has been performed, I believe that magic invades that space and somehow settles as a force, independent of the wizards who stay there. That makes sense for places like Hogwarts at least" Draco shrugged.

"That's fascinating. I should read up on that" Granger muttered.

Draco fought to keep his eyes from rolling.

"Not to discourage you on that but I think that finding these places that Lucille is planning on visiting would be timelier" he deadpanned.

"Yes, yes of course. Did you manage to save any of the blueprints?" Granger asked, tucking errant strands of hair behind her ear.

"I honestly don't know. I shouted at Tracey to take them, but I don't know what happened after I was attacked" Draco muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry" Granger said after a few minutes of silence, her voice barely a whisper.

Draco's head whipped up, his mouth already open to ask her what on earth she was sorry for, when the look in her eyes made him stop short.

She was looking right at him with so much depth of feeling in her amber eyes that Draco thought she might cry.

He knew that she wasn't just talking about the attack in France.

Before he could find something to say however, she had reached out and touched his hand that was laying on the bedclothes.

She wrapped her fingers around his.

Draco pried his eyes away from hers to look down at their clasped hands, all thought flying out of his mind.

Granger too was looking down at their hands with an unreadable expression on her face.

Finally, she pulled her hand away and stood up.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"


	47. Chapter Forty Seven

"Okay but why get into defense?"

Hermione was lounging on a chair at the hospital bedside of Draco Malfoy. He was fully dressed this time, in one of his regular black, button down long-sleeved shirts, leg still suspended. Hermione on the other hand was in muggle clothing; jeans and sweater.

It was her day off, but she had assigned herself to Malfoy's security detail so here she was, making conversation.

Malfoy peered at her through the lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes.

"I was always interested in dueling and using magic in new ways. It was an exciting field" Malfoy shrugged "I didn't want to get into the family business either. I wanted to do something new. So, I got together with Nott and we hashed out a company plan".

"And the training? You don't really seem like the type with the patience to teach" Hermione asked with a smile.

"I'm not really involved in the teaching, that's solely Tracey's area. It was her idea to start a training center" Malfoy replied.

"I didn't even know you two were such good friends at Hogwarts" Hermione said with evident curiosity, propping her face on her palm.

Malfoy fixed her with an intense stare "I assume there's much you didn't know about me at Hogwarts".

Hermione nodded slowly matching his stare but not replying.

"We were friends, just not very publicly. Tracey is half-blood so, we didn't really get along that well at the beginning, but we were paired up a few times in class. We became friends around third year, but she didn't really want to be seen with the gang" Malfoy paused and pushed his hair out of his face "Pansy didn't really like her much either. We lost touch after the war, but she reached out to me when I was at Durmstrang".

"I like her. It's hard to believe she was in Slytherin" Hermione said decidedly.

Malfoy huffed with a smile "she was what you would call a Slytherin in name only. She had no part in pure blood ideology. She fought on your side during the war" Malfoy finished quietly.

"Really?" Hermione asked with renewed respect for the raven-haired beauty.

"Yes, but she didn't really stick around after the war. I think her family moved abroad for some time" Malfoy replied, "she moved back alone after a relationship fell apart or something".

"Who in their right mind would break up with her? She's gorgeous" Hermione exclaimed, vaguely aware of how strange it was that she was having conversations of this nature with Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy conceded with a slight inclination of his head "I honestly don't know details".

They sat in silence for some time.

"What happened with Astoria? Did you dissolve your engagement finally?" Hermione asked after a while.

Malfoy gritted his teeth visibly.

"No. She is refusing to see me to dissolve the magical binding" he said grimly.

"Oh…" Hermione replied and fell silent again.

"What happened between you and the Weasel?" Malfoy asked suddenly.

Hermione looked up at him in shock. Why on earth would he bring that up now? Malfoy was leaning against the headboard of the bed, his head leaning back, eyes on the ceiling.

She considered the question for a few seconds.

"Nothing happened. We decided to break up because it just wasn't working out. I mean, I love him dearly. Just not in the way I want to love someone I'm in a relationship with" she said almost to herself.

Malfoy straightened and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I don't understand" he said imperiously.

"Do you have to?" Hermione asked quizzically.

Malfoy opened his mouth and closed it again looking thoroughly nonplussed. Hermione realized that he probably wasn't used to people talking back to him in that way.

She chuckled quietly, enjoying his incredulity and subsequent discomfort.

"I want passion. I want insanity and spontaneity. I want someone to drive me up the wall and catch me when I jump off the edge. I want someone who brings out the best and worst in me. Someone to keep up with me and fight the whole world for me. I want sparks and fire and magic. And I want you to not have me committed to the mental illness ward for my rambling" she said laughing openly now.

Malfoy didn't reply but just watched her impassively until her laughter subsided. Then he shook his head.

"Is that what muggle relationships are like?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

"Merlin no. Not all of them anyway. It's not a muggle or wizard thing. It's a human thing. And I wanted it. Things were good with Ron. But I wanted more" Hermione said, gazing out a window.

"Relationships in the wizarding world are very different to what you described. Or at least the kind that I'm accustomed to" Malfoy said quietly "It's all about planning and precision. And it's always more about social acceptance than the actual relationship. They're alliances, made for mutual benefit and gain".

"So, there's no love? No companionship and romance and passion?" Hermione asked, feeling irrationally sad for people in such 'alliances'.

"My parents loved each other, after a fashion. There was respect and I dare say companionship as well. I never really saw much romance. It's just different, the way relationships are built in pure blood society" Malfoy replied with a small shrug.

"It's strange isn't it, how people from the same community could be so different in their habits?" Hermione asked softly.

Malfoy didn't reply and instead stared balefully out a window.

"Do you miss him? Your father?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Yes. And no" Malfoy kept his eyes steadily out the window "I… he was a strong presence in my life for a very long time. I looked up to him and wanted to be like him. I wanted his approval".

Malfoy paused as if to gather his thoughts. Hermione waited patiently for him to continue.

"He used to be different. Before the Dark Lord came back. He used to be much more focused on me and mother and the family business. He wasn't so preoccupied with ridding the world of muggle borns and half-bloods".

Hermione raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Don't get me wrong, he was always a big believer in pure blood supremacy, he just wasn't so… so evil" Malfoy finished quietly, lowering his eyes.

Hermione felt a wave of sadness for Malfoy. She couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to grow up with Lucius Malfoy for a father and watching evil being committed in her own home, having to participate in it too.

She let out a sigh.

Hermione didn't want to show Malfoy pity because she could tell that he would resent it. Besides, he didn't need her pity, he had grown up and had climbed out of his dark spot and made a name for himself.

She cleared her throat.

"I spoke to Vercloft you know, after you left" she said, leaning a little further into her seat.

"Oh? What did he say?" Malfoy asked, glancing at her.

Hermione shrugged "Nothing much".

Malfoy cocked an eyebrow at her.

Hermione sighed as she rolled her eyes "He told me you asked him about getting rid of my scar" she said.

Malfoy looked stunned for a second before his mask of supreme boredom fell back into place. He didn't reply though.

"Is it true?" she asked after the silence stretched for too long.

"Yes, it's true. I knew about aunt Bella's dagger, but it was the first time I had seen it being used in that way. I was interested in the magical properties of its use" Malfoy replied.

"Only the magical properties of the dagger?" Hermione asked silently.

Malfoy sighed.

"Yes, Granger. I wasn't exactly on speaking terms with any of you at that point. It wasn't like I wanted to learn that, so I could rush over and heal you. I don't even know what you've done with the scar. I saw it happen, so it was in my head. That's why I asked Vercloft about it".

"Oh" Hermione said quietly.

It's not that she even wanted him to have tried to remove the scar from her. She didn't understand why she was turning Malfoy into something that he clearly wasn't. It's not as if he'd carried a torch for her all this time or that he'd been mentally anguished by the thought of her bearing a scar.

"What?" Malfoy asked, but his tone was weary. He was obviously tired and in need of more pain medication.

"Nothing" Hermione said as she eased herself up off the chair, getting ready to leave "Dennis should be here about now, so I should leave".

"Wait, what's wrong?" he asked, his tone becoming imperious again.

"Nothing Malfoy" Hermione replied airily "My shift is over that's all. I'll see you tomorrow I suppose".

Hermione headed towards the door trying to convince herself that she wasn't the teensiest bit upset that Malfoy hadn't wanted to heal her scar. Honestly, she shouldn't even be thinking about that.

"If something could have been done about the scar, I knew that you would have already done it yourself Granger. You don't need me to do anything" Malfoy spoke from behind her, his voice laden with defeat.

Hermione paused near the door and turned around.

"I did try. For years and years, I tried to remove it. It didn't work. If I had known that Vercloft might have known something about removing it, I would have met him somehow" she said, trying to sound as airy as she had done before.

"He only had theories" Malfoy said.

"Will you tell me the theories? And can you put them into practice somehow?" Hermione asked, taking a step forward. Her hope was renewed in a place where all hope had died.

"Granger, it won't work. I can try obviously. But I know for certain it won't change anything" he said.

"But why?" Hermione asked.

"Granger, the Dark magic reacts to the magic in your blood. This is why the scar won't heal or fade. It is of no use for me to try to remove something that reacts so strongly to your magic" he replied blankly.

"But why not?" she asked again.

"Your magic is too powerful. It makes the Dark Magic more powerful. I can't do anything because… because your magic is so much more powerful than mine will ever be".

"Malfoy…" Hermione said.

"Hey Hermione! It's my shift, now right?"

Hermione had been listening so intently to what Malfoy had been saying that she hadn't even heard Dennis walking in through the door.

"Uh… yes. But…" Hermione turned back to Malfoy.

Malfoy was downing the purple coloured sleeping drought as she turned back. He watched her through hooded eyes as he sank down into his pillow and into a deep sleep.


	48. Chapter Forty Eight

_"Come on Hermione, it's just one more day. At least wait till Ron get's there"._

 _"Merlin Harry, you're acting as if I'm going on some major dangerous mission. I'm going to St. Mungos to get the medical test done. They've finally called me in and I don't want to waste another minute"._

 _"Yes, fine but you'll be alone. One of us should be there with you. Ron will be coming in tomorrow and I'll be there the day after. Besides, our raids are all finished. It's not like you need to rush anywhere to join us, we're all coming home"._

 _"Harry look, I've spent a lot of time making sure my magic is working perfectly fine. I even went to the new auror training facility and did some practical's; everything is completely normal. This is no big deal, I'll just go in, complete the test and floo you directly afterwards"._

 _"Okay, look. Ginny is back from tour. Why don't you ask her to come along?"_

 _"Harry, I love you and your concern is touching. But I am fully capable of doing this myself. Look, how about, as soon I finish, I'll go to the burrow and check in with Ginny? How's that?"_

 _Alright. Alright. Just, stay calm and focused okay. You can do this Hermione, you're the most amazing witch I know"._

 _"Thank you, Harry. You take care okay and get back home safely"._

Hermione strode along the corridor to Healer Jones' office, smiling at the memory of Harry's floo call that morning.

She had been elated that the day had finally come, and she had been summoned to St. Mungo's to complete the medical test. Soon, she would be back on the field. She took a quick mental checklist of all the spells and charms she had rigorously practiced the days before, assuring herself in the process that she was completely ready.

She had even duelled a few rounds with Tracey on Malfoy's suggestion the evening before.

Malfoy.

The past three days, Hermione had visited with the Malfoy heir quite often. He was still stubbornly refusing to inform his mother of his injury and therefore, had no one to stay with him during the day. Moreover, he was being extremely difficult with the aurors assigned to protect him, insisting instead on having members of his own team posted outside his door. He only gave in when Hermione arrived and then they would sit for hours and have strangely satisfying conversations.

Hermione was now quite convinced that Malfoy was indeed rather intelligent and that had he used his mental faculties for actual work during Hogwarts, he may very well have given her a run for her money. She very much enjoyed their conversations; Malfoy was witty, sarcastic and had a unique sense of humour.

In her mind however, Hermione was fighting quite a battle with regards to the erstwhile blond.

She was having a rather hard time reconciling the arrogant bully who had tortured her throughout school with the quiet, brooding, intelligent man she argued about memory modification charms with the day before. It was almost as if they were two separate people, sharing just the same name and face. On the one hand, she found it very disconcerting that she was becoming fond of a man who had once tormented her to the point of tears. On the other, she couldn't deny that the grown-up Malfoy was interesting and that she found herself wanting to spend time with him.

Hermione sighed.

Malfoy was to be released today. The Healers had finally concocted a potion that was able to keep the pain in his leg at bay. At the same time, they had brought in a Greek healer specialising in magical injuries who was going to attempt to fix the paralysis.

While she sat outside Healer Jones' office, Hermione debated whether she should pay Malfoy a visit after his release or not. Would it be inappropriate if she were to visit him at home? Perhaps she would go to his office?

She didn't know where it was.

Damnit.

"Ms. Granger, we're ready for you now".

Hermione squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and walked in.

The room was roughly the size of a Hogwarts classroom that had been emptied of all its furniture, except for a small table in its centre, that held a few items. Healer Jones was standing near the door holding a clipboard and with him were two other healers including the one who had called Hermione in.

"Good afternoon Hermione. I trust you are ready to be tested?" Healer Jones peered at her, taking her in from head to toe as if he could assess her health just by looking at her.

"Yes. Perfectly ready" Hermione said brightly.

"Right. Please stand in the middle of the room and perform the spells we ask you to" Healer Jones indicated towards the table.

Hermione strode into the room, gripping her wand.

"We'll start off with common spells; _Aguamenti_ please" Healer Jones ticked something on his chart.

Hermione raised her wand.

A small stream of water erupted from the end of it.

Hermione breathed a small sigh of relief.

" _Lumos_ and _Nox_ " another healer muttered.

Again, the spell performed itself easily enough.

"Please cast a disillusionment charm on that book" Jones requested next.

Hermione relaxed fractionally as the book slowly became the same colour as its surroundings, effectively hiding it from view.

"Levitate that ball please".

Hermione raised her wand at the tennis ball on the table.

"Wingardium Leviosa"

The ball did not move an inch.

Hermione calmed herself with a breath and closed her eyes, reaching deep within herself.

"Wingardium Leviosa"

Nothing.

"It's alright Hermione. Let's try another one" Healer Jones interrupted Hermione's third attempt to levitate the ball.

"Engorge the apple please" the other healer said.

"Engorgio" Hermione couldn't hide the slight tremor in her voice.

The apple enlarged fractionally.

"Engorgio" Hermione said a little more forcefully.

The apple however, remained in its slightly inflated state.

"Do you want to take a break Hermione?" Healer Jones had removed his spectacles and was looking at her with concern.

Hermione didn't know what to say. She couldn't make her mouth move even if she had known what to say.

"Ms. Granger?" one of the other healers asked gently.

"I…I… can I try again please?" Hermione whispered.

Healer Jones sighed but then held out his wand "Disarm me Hermione" he said.

"Expelliarmus" Hermione's voice was strong but the hand that held her wand shook as she pointed it.

Healer Jones was not disarmed.

"Expelliarmus" Hermione said again.

"EXPELLIARMUS" she shouted.

"Hermione please" Healer Jones had taken his wand back and indicated to the other two to leave "Hermione, you need to stop. Look at me my dear"

Hermione was still standing in the middle of the room with her wand pointed at the wall, her face displaying abject horror.

"Hermione" Healer Jones had shaken her by the shoulder.

Hermione's arm dropped to her side.

She stumbled away from Healer Jones and ran out of the room.

And she ran and ran.

She had no comprehension of where she was going, just that she was running down a hallway, desperately looking for an exit.

Suddenly an arm shot out and grabbed her around the waist.

Hermione twisted and tugged trying to free herself, pushing at whomever was holding her. She hadn't even realised that tears were streaming down her face.

She was pushed into a wall then and she felt a face very close to her own. Someone was holding her against the wall to stop her from struggling.

"Let. Me. Go." Hermione was gasping with her tears and trying to catch her breath.

Hermione pounded the wall with her fist.

POP

She had been apparated and seconds later, unceremoniously dumped on a couch.

Hermione flailed and struggled to find her footing, although no one was holding her anymore.

She looked around wildly, clutching her wand.

"Breathe Granger"

Hermione's tear-soaked eyes found stormy grey ones.

"Malfoy! What the absolute fuck are you doing? Where am I?" Hermione shrieked, pushing her hair out of her face.

"At my office. Calm down" Malfoy's tone was completely flat. It was the complete opposite of what Hermione was feeling.

"What? Why" she asked, still trying to calm her breathing down. Very soon, she would be hyperventilating.

"You were obviously having some sort of breakdown and you were screaming bloody murder in a hospital. I couldn't very well leave you there" he deadpanned.

Hermione froze at his words and the next second, she crumbled into herself. She couldn't stop shaking.

"Hey. Hey Granger. Granger, pull yourself together. What happened?" Malfoy asked, looking down at her with a shadow of concern in his eyes.

"I can't… I can't… can't do magic" Hermione heaved in the smallest whisper.

Malfoy was silent. He stared down at her as if she had suddenly turned into a flobberworm.

"The test…" he trailed off.

That set her off.

Hermione could no longer regulate her breathing and began, very rapidly to hyperventilate.

"Granger. Granger calm… Bloody hell GRANGER!"

Malfoy had leaned over her on the couch, grabbed her shoulders and shook her once.

"Look at me!" he ordered with another shake.

"That test meant nothing. Tracey told me you duelled with her just fine the other night and that you even beat her a few times. There is nothing wrong with you. Just… come on Granger… Hermione just breathe" the last words were spoken so softly.

He continued to maintain his vice-like grip on her shoulders and his intense stare right into her eyes until eventually, her breathing slowed.

Finally, he relaxed his grip.

"Listen to me" he said, his voice low and firm "that test meant nothing. You are far more powerful than a centuries old dark object. You can, and you will beat this. Do you hear me? You are a witch, and nothing can change that".

Hermione took a shaky breath just as Malfoy let go of her shoulders and moved back slightly.

She didn't know whether it was the shock and horror of not being able to perform magic for the first time in her life, or whether it was the words that Malfoy just spoke. She just knew that something within her snapped.

She reached up, fumbling, grabbing for anything she could get a hold of, robes, shirt collar, she had no idea what she was doing.

She just remembered pushing and pulling and an aeon long, awkward struggle on that worn out leather couch.

Until finally.

Her lips found his and she took leave of her senses.


	49. Chapter Forty Nine

Draco Malfoy stood in front of large wooden front doors, leaning heavily on his cane.

Although the pain in his leg had greatly subsided, he still felt occasional jabs of pain that made walking or standing for long periods of time difficult. Although he despised the cane and its overt signalling of his disability, Draco found that he much rather preferred its presence to stumbling and falling over.

Although appearing outwardly poised and in control as ever, Draco's mind was a maelstrom of surging emotions.

The past twenty-four hours had been like some sort of waking dream.

He certainly had not anticipated Granger's reaction and was even still not completely sure he had reacted to her reaction in the most appropriate of manners. Or at least in the manner befitting the only heir to a prestigious pure-blood family.

Draco snorted quietly.

He knew very well that any and all pretentious high-handedness he may have felt in his life that had come from being a part of the pure-blood elite, had flown out the window the moment he had kissed a muggle-born witch.

If he was being completely honest with himself, there had been no amorous feeling on his part when he had brought the distraught witch to his office. Instead, he had thought he was being merely practical. She was having a stupendous meltdown in the middle of St. Mungos and he rather hated seeing her like that. His intention had been to take her somewhere she could have her breakdown in private.

Afterwards, whatever it was that he had said, had come from a place of complete sincerity and utter disbelief that she was even having such a breakdown. He just couldn't understand the cause of her distress. Additionally, he wasn't even looking for some sort of romantic overture on her part when he had said what he had said; he had just stated the truth.

Potter and Weasley, he had worked with before, but this case had been the first time he had been paired with Granger. From Egypt, to France to Greece, he had been utterly amazed at what she could do. Whatever he may have believed when he was at Hogwarts had been proven completely false, and he was one hundred percent in awe of her magical power.

Draco didn't know much about this amulet that his so-called step aunt had been using but he did know for sure that it could not possibly have any lasting effect on the force of nature that was Hermione Granger.

Draco sighed and raised his hand to knock again.

Just as he did this however, the small knobbly head of a house elf popped out from behind the door.

"Mistress will see you now" he squeaked before heading off down the corridor. Draco followed slowly, leaning on his cane. The house elf pointed in through the drawing room and left with a POP.

Draco took a deep breath and walked in.

Sitting in one corner of the drawing room at a table, a cup of tea in her hand sat the youngest of the Greengrasses and Draco's ex-fiancée, Astoria Greengrass.

Draco took in the sight of her and stifled a low groan.

It was the middle of the afternoon on a weekday and as far as he could tell, they were the only two in the room. You couldn't tell all this by looking at Astoria though. She was dressed in elaborate and clearly expensive dress robes, with a face full of makeup and dripping in diamonds.

Draco shuffled his scuffed work boots and adjusted the collar of his somewhat rumpled work robes.

He waited silently for Astoria to acknowledge and address him.

"To what do I owe the honour of this visit Draco?" Astoria asked, lifting her eyes fractionally from her tea cup.

Draco took in a breath, ready to reply angrily but was stopped by the look in Astoria's eyes.

In fact, as he took in her whole demeanour, he couldn't help but realise that there appeared to be no fight in the erstwhile witch. Rather, she seemed wary and tired and perhaps… sad?

Draco fidgeted a while before answering.

"Astoria, you know why I'm here" he said quietly.

After a few moments during which Astoria seemed to be gathering herself, she placed her tea cup on the table and waved her hand, indicating that he should sit.

"Why, Draco?" she whispered, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Astoria, I explained this to you many times. We… we are poorly matched. I came into this marriage at the behest of my mother, not of my own volition. I feel very strongly that there is no… no connection between us. I would make you very unhappy" he said, leaning forward, desperate to make her understand.

"What is it you want Draco?" Astoria asked, her voice small, a touch of desperation creeping into its tone.

"I want… I want someone I can converse with, who shares my interests and pursuits. I have had enough of being societies pin up Astoria, I don't want to go to balls and luncheons" Draco said, desperation creeping into his own voice.

"And I can't be that for you?" she asked, finally looking up at him.

Draco looked at her wordlessly and helplessly. He honestly didn't know how to tell her that she couldn't be that for him even if she tried.

"Is there nothing that could be done to save our engagement?" she asked again.

Again, however, Draco had no words.

Finally, Astoria seemed to steel herself to the situation. The look in her eyes changed, her back stiffened and she became slightly more like herself.

"Can I get you some tea?" she asked, her voice much stronger.

"Astoria, I apologise so very sincerely for putting you through this. It is of no fault of your own that I couldn't man up earlier and that I was too much of a coward to say no to my mother in the first place. The fault of this entire debacle is mine and mine alone" Draco rushed on, hoping fervently that Astoria saw the honesty in him.

Astoria looked at him dead on for a minute.

"And you can assure me that there is no one else?" she asked shortly.

"I would never do anything to embarrass you in that way or give you cause for shame" Draco said, looking directly at her.

In all honesty, he had no idea where this situation with Granger was going or if it was even going anywhere. But one thing he did know for sure is that neither he nor she, nor anyone in their inner circles would be publicising anything any time soon. So, he felt fairly safe giving Astoria the reassurance that she needed.

Astoria nodded and seemed to relax. Once again, she lifted her teacup to her lips.

Draco waited for a few minutes to pass before speaking up again.

"Will you allow a dissolution of the binding?" he asked gently.

Astoria didn't reply but rather sipped her tea once, then twice and set the cup down. She then reached out her hand.

"Hold my arm" she said tritely.

"You know how to dissolve the betrothal binding?" Draco asked incredulously looking at her outstretched hand.

Astoria shrugged "I think all pure-blood women do. It is meant for our protection you know. So that you men can't besmirch our honour and then leave us. Only we have the power to dissolve the binding" she smirked gently.

Draco paused a moment before reaching out and grabbing onto Astoria's forearm. She pulled her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at their clasped hands.

"Unio Partitus"

Draco felt a force tightening his arm onto Astoria's for a second before releasing. A blue light wound its way around their arms and disappeared.

Astoria withdrew her arm.

Draco withdrew his too and sat uncertainly in his seat, unsure of what to do or say.

Astoria picked up her tea cup again.

"Do give my regards to Narcissa" she said, her tone making it more than evident that their tête-à-tête was over.

Draco nodded and stood.

"Astoria" he said with a small bow.

Astoria looked up at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes and then nodded.

Draco whirled on his heel and left.

His engagement was over.


	50. Chapter Fifty

"But Minister, what you're asking is preposterous. We can't possibly fall back now!"

"Harry, I understand your concern, but you have no leads"

"And that is exactly why we have to push on. You can't take aurors off this case, not when we're so close"

But Harry, you are not close. You're flailing in the dark"

Hermione Granger leaned back against the wall. She was standing in the corner of the office of the minister for magic, watching him and her best friend have a shouting match across the Minister's desk.

Harry and Ron had both come home the day before. This morning, they had all received an owl from the Minister asking them to his office. A moment ago, the Minister had told them that as they had no new leads on the whereabouts of Lucille Malfoy, he wanted to pull aurors off the case. He had also wanted Ron, Harry and Hermione to give their attention to other cases that had come in, in the interim.

Harry was not so happy with this arrangement as the shouting match indicated.

Hermione leaned her head back against the wall, allowing her brain to tune out the argument.

It wasn't that she didn't care. She cared very much. However, she didn't see the point in arguing with the Minister in this instance.

When news of the murders first began coming in more than a year ago, Hermione had had a similar shouting match with the Minister, asking him to put aurors on the case and to relieve her from her other cases so that she could pursue this one full time. He had refused stating that there was no evidence of any link between the crimes. So, Hermione had struck out on her own. She had used ministry resources and devoted her time and energy into researching the case but had just not publicised it.

She presumed that she, Ron and Harry could do the same now.

Besides, Shaklebolt had a point; they really were out of leads.

Hermione sighed.

"Alright look, we haven't had enough time to go over the blueprints that Tracey brought in. At least give us time to do that" Harry straightened up and put his hands on his hips as he spoke.

"Fine. Fine" Shaklebolt straightened up as well, looking supremely annoyed "I will give you a limited amount of time to study these prints and the locations shown in them. But if nothing turns up, then you must do as I say. For Merlin's sake Harry, I'm not asking you to give up the case entirely. I'm asking you to give your attention to other cases while we still keep searching. With a smaller group of aurors".

"How much time?" Harry asked shortly.

"You have seventy-two hours. Three days. If nothing turns up, then the case will lose priority" Shaklebolt straightened his robes and sat down. He then indicated that the three of them sit as well.

Hermione walked over and sat.

"Hermione, please don't argue, but for now, you're to stay off the field. For this case, or any other" Shaklebolt said wearily, as if preparing for another argument.

Hermione merely nodded sullenly.

After she had sufficiently recovered from her meltdown and then gotten over the shock and confusion of making out with Draco Malfoy, Hermione had taken herself back to St. Mungo's where Healer Jones had done a complete check up on her. In his report, he had stated that while there was no longer anything medically wrong with her, her magic was still unpredictable.

Since that day, Hermione had gone to the new auror training facility religiously, to test out her magic. It hadn't failed even once. However, she was sufficiently worried about it, to not push her luck on the field. She had finally realised that the unpredictability of her magic could indeed harm others, if not herself.

So, she didn't argue with Shaklebolt.

"When can she take the test again?" Ron asked.

"There is to be no more medical testing. Healer Jones says they do not need to test her for medical reasons unless she finds that she is unable to do any magic for a prolonged period of time. However, the ministry will be putting Hermione through a magical proficiency test in a month" Shaklebolt replied.

"So, no field work for a month?" Harry asked indignantly.

"No. And may I stress that if you indeed care for your friend, you will not put her in a position of danger nor will you encourage her to put herself in one" Shaklebolt replied sternly.

Harry and Ron were silent.

"Now, about those blueprints. Do you really think they will lead to something?" Shaklebolt asked, passing a hand over his eyes tiredly.

"Well, as of now, we have no clue where Lucille might be. The only lead we have are those blueprints" Hermione spoke up finally "And considering what we know about her, I think it's a safe assumption that since she knows about them, she would try to use such ancient knowledge to experiment on the amulet".

"How many sites of ancient magic do we have here?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Well, for popular ones, only Hogwarts. But according to reports, there are hundreds of not so famous sites that are believed to be ancient sites of magic. Long ago, people believed that even wizarding homes should be built on such sites, to increase the strength of the magic of the people living there"' Hermione replied.

"And has this been verified?" Shaklebolt asked.

"No" Hermione replied, "But enough theories exist for someonelike Lucille to believe in its veracity".

"Alright. So, these blueprints will be your priority for the next seventy-two hours. Work with Tracey and Malfoy. If there is anything else…" Shaklebolt trailed off expectantly.

"Minister, we need to talk about Malfoy's security detail" Harry spoke up.

"Yes?" Shaklebolt asked, looking up from a file.

"He wants to get rid of the Aurors we schedule for him and just use members of his defence team for his protection" Harry replied.

"What do you think about that arrangement?" Shaklebolt asked, looking at each of them in turn.

"His team is actually really good. I suppose it would be okay" Ron spoke up.

Harry shrugged while Hermione shook her head slightly to indicate that she really didn't know.

Shaklebolt sighed.

"I understand Malfoy's problem. It must cause him no little inconvenience, but you see, he's a member of our wizarding community and moreover, he's assisting us in a case. Technically, his safety is our responsibility. I don't think I should remove the aurors" Shaklebolt replied.

"Yes. But… but the thing is Minister, Malfoy's not the most compliant. He… he, uh, managed to give our auror the slip and disappear for about an hour yesterday" Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck with his eyes down.

Hermione finally stirred from her stupor and sat up a little straighter.

She didn't know about this.

Well, it wasn't as if she should have known. It wasn't like she was … anything. But still. And anyway, she hadn't even seen him since… since that day. But, she had been asking for constant reports from the aurors assigned to his security and was fairly cognizant of his doings and whereabouts. When had he given them the slip?

"Merlin's beard" Shaklebolt whispered, his eyes widening "how did he do that? And we really have no idea where he went?"

"We do" Ron said chuckling, "he told us where he went easily enough. I just think he wanted to go alone is all".

"Where did he go?" Hermione couldn't keep herself from asking.

Ron looked at her strangely "To the Greengrass Manor".

"Oh… right" Hermione sat back.

"Well, this sort of thing can't happen again. I'll speak to Mr. Malfoy" Shaklebolt said.

He then stood, signalling the end of the meeting and extended his hand to Harry and then to Ron and Hermione in turn.

"I wish you luck" he said in parting.

Harry, Ron and Hermione lined out of the office and began walking down the corridor towards the lifts.

"What's the next step?" Ron asked, after a minute of walking in silence.

"I'm going to send owls to Malfoy and Tracey and set up a brainstorming session. I'll get them to bring the blueprints and we'll see where they lead" Harry answered, pulling at the neck of his robes.

"Yes, we'll need to get as much work done as possible within these days if we want to visit those locations as well" Ron said, stepping into the lift.

"Actually…" Hermione trailed off, lost in thought.

"What?" Harry prompted.

"You know, it's only us that need to be taken off the case. Theoretically, Malfoy and his team could still keep looking" she said.

"They could, but Shaklebolt had a point 'mione. We really don't have any new leads and it's entirely possible that Malfoy's losing a lot of Galleons working free on this case. It just feels unfair. He's not part of the ministry, he's a private business owner. We can't just ask him to go off on a wild-goose chase and leave his business to crumble" Harry said pensively walking towards his office.

"But, she's his aunt mate. Wouldn't he want to see this through?" Ron asked, leaning against the doorframe to Harry's office.

"I'm sure he would, I just don't think the ministry will ask him to prioritise this case above his own work after these seventy-two hours" Harry plopped into his chair and waved a tired hand over the two chairs in front of him.

"I can't stay Harry, I have some reading to get done" Hermione said regretfully from the doorway.

"And I'm off to bed mate. It's my day off" Ron yawned.

"Fine. Fine. Dinner tonight? Grimmauld? Ginny's home for a few days before going off on tour again" Harry said, taking off his spectacles and rubbing his eyes.

"Yes", "You're on" Ron and Hermione spoke over each other and laughed at their misstep.

Hermione left with a smile and wave to her two best friends. She also smiled at and waved off assistance from her assistant Amelie and walked into her office. She then locked the door and leaned against it.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

After what felt like an aeon or a few seconds perhaps, Hermione pulled back only to find herself gripped a little tighter onto the chest of Draco Malfoy.

He was clinging to her shoulder and upper arm as if his life depended on it.

Hermione slowly released her death hold on his shirt collar and pulled back. She took a deep breath and looked into stormy grey eyes.

The eyes that looked back at her were in turns tormented, passionate and conflicted. She presumed that the look in her eyes was something quite similar given how she was feeling.

And still, her brain was refusing to kick start.

She took another deep breath and steadied herself against the back of the couch she was half lying on and straightened herself. As she did so, Malfoy too adjusted his grip and righted himself.

"I should go home" Hermione had muttered as she pulled her disarrayed robes into place.

She stumbled off the couch and stood.

A chance look at the young man still half kneeling on the couch had made her stop though.

At her words, Malfoy's eyes had, for a fraction looked hurt and… afraid?

Hermione blushed as she realised what he must have thought. She reached out and kept a hand steadily on his shoulder and squeezed slightly.

He looked up at her, all vulnerability gone, eyes hidden behind his blank mask.

Hermione smiled at his obvious pretention.

"We'll talk? Later?" she asked gently.

The mask slipped for a second.

Malfoy nodded and halfway reached up his hand to hers before deciding against it and let his arm drop to the couch again.

Hermione squeezed his shoulder again softly and prepared to leave.

"Can I go through the wards?" she asked Malfoy who was now looking steadily down at the couch.

"Yes" he replied in a faraway voice.

Hermione paused for a minute wondering if she should say something.

But it wasn't the time. She had so much to sort out first.

They would have time.

POP.

Hermione opened her eyes in her office, sank to the floor still leaning against the door and dropped her face into her knees.


	51. Chapter Fifty One

"Hey Hermione, do you have a minute?"

Hermione's plucky assistant Amelie poked her head in through the door.

"Hey, sure Amelie, what's up?" Hermione asked with her head still buried in a massive book filled with sketches of old buildings. They were still trying to identify the blueprints that Tracey had found in France.

"I need to speak to you".

Hermione froze and felt a chill run through her.

The voice that had spoken was not Amelie's but rather, belonged to a tall aristocratic blond that she had been avoiding for the past two days.

Although Harry had called three meetings to discuss the drawings, all of which included Draco Malfoy, Hermione had managed to avoid talking to him directly and had also managed to avoid talking to him about their incident completely.

After the first day, Malfoy had sent her several owls asking to meet and he had also indirectly asked to speak with her privately on two separate occasions. Hermione knew she was being immature and that furthermore, she was the one who had promised they would talk and yet, she found that she could not bring herself to face him.

The most insurmountable issue she had was that she could noteven begin to unravel her own feelings towards the erstwhile blond.

She was interested in him for sure.

But she was also terribly conflicted about her feelings. There was just too much history and too much baggage. The Malfoy she knew now was good; intelligent, mature, if a little surly and moody. If only she could forget the spiteful, arrogant Malfoy of her childhood.

Added to all this was the fact that she was completely stressed out about her magic and then on top of that, they only had one more day to work on the case.

It was just too much.

In her head, she had somewhat decided that she would sort out her relationship with Malfoy after the case wrapped up.

Otherwise, there was just an overload of emotion.

Unfortunately, she had not told Malfoy about this resolution. Which would explain why he had now barged into her office.

Hermione slowly raised her eyes and met his stormy grey ones.

"Malfoy. Hello. How can I help you?" Hermione struggled to keep her voice level for the benefit of her assistant whose head was still halfway in the door.

Malfoy was standing a little behind Amelie, clad in his black work robes, clutching his wand in his hand. He was leaning slightly on his cane.

Malfoy did not reply. He just continued to look at her with an inscrutable expression on his face.

"I'll take it from here Amelie, thank you" Hermione realised her voice was higher and squeakier than normal, but she couldn't help it.

Amelie finally left leaving Malfoy to walk in and close the door behind him.

With a wave of his wand, a Muffliato charm was cast on the room.

Hermione swallowed heavily and kept her eyes determinedly ahead of her.

"Granger"

Malfoy's voice was low and quiet. Hermione finally raised her eyes to his.

"You've been avoiding me" Malfoy continued quietly.

"No, I haven't" Hermione replied, shoulders sagging as she let out the breath she was holding.

"You said we would talk and you haven't been talking since that day. Not to me anyway" Malfoy lowered himself onto the chair in front of her desk.

Hermione sighed and rubbed her eyes "Malfoy, we've all been busy with the case, I just didn't think it was time…" she trailed off.

Malfoy was silent, eyes piercing hers.

"And I'm sorry if it seemed like I was avoiding you" Hermione continued. "Look, I need to work through a lot of things. I'm stressed out about my magic and this case is weighing me down too, I just can't deal with… with anything else right now" she rushed on.

Still Malfoy was silent.

"Besides, I was an utter mess that day, everything is a bit of a blur. I was just so overwhelmed by everything, I'm sorry if it seemed like I ambushed you" she said, watching closely for some kind of reaction "I wasn't thinking clearly or acting like myself, I would never have…"

Malfoy stood at her words, grey eyes darkening.

"Malfoy wait… what" she stammered, looking up at him.

"No need Granger, I think I got all the information I came for" Malfoy said through gritted teeth.

"No, wait… what are you talking about?" she asked, although her misstep was beginning to dawn on her.

"There is nothing further to discuss. You were not in your right mind that day, what else would have compelled you to react like that. I understand perfectly" Malfoy replied, his snide drawl becoming more pronounced.

"Malfoy don't do that, you know that's not fair" Hermione said rising from her own seat.

"Its not fair? You just said you weren't thinking clearly" he spat.

"Well I wasn't" Hermione shrieked, suddenly thankful for the _Muffliato_ "My magic had just failed me, I obviously wasn't thinking clearly. And it is not fair for you to expect anything more from me right now. You can't just expect me to forget all the history between us. This is you and me, there's just too much that happened for me to just ignore or gloss over".

"No, no I suppose I can't expect you to forget who I was or what I did. Your forgiveness clearly doesn't mean acceptance" Malfoy's voice had also raised a few notches.

"Forgiveness? Who says I've forgiven you anything? I haven't even begun to work through what happened with you at Hogwarts for me to forgive you. And if I am remembering clearly, you haven't really apologised for anything for me to forgive" Hermione shouted across her table.

"What do you want from me Granger? An apology for every time I called you a mudblood? An apology for every insult? Or do you want me to make amends for my bigger transgressions? Trying to kill Dumbledore? Trying to kill Potter?" Malfoy shouted back at her.

"It would be a start" Hermione said "Are you even sorry Malfoy? For the things you've done? Are you sorry?" she asked.

"What…" Malfoy began but stopped. Something in his eyes flashed.

"You know what Granger? I think I had it right the first time. You lot are just too good and too righteous for the likes of a Death Eater like me. Let's just leave it at that shall we?" he spat out in a whisper.

"You know what? Maybe you're right Malfoy. I can't get into this right now. What I wanted was space and time which you clearly are not ready to give me because your privileged self believes that it should get whatever it wants. I am not going to be at your beck and call no matter how changed you believe you are" Hermione spat back.

"Oh, I don't believe any such thing Granger" Malfoys voice was dangerously low "And yes my privileged self did think it deserved a reply from you even if you just wanted to say you needed time. What I did not expect was to be ignored completely. My fault here is that I was too weak to resist becoming emotionally invested in a witch who believes she is far too good for me. I chose to disregard common sense, my heritage, my family and every custom and habit I've been raised in, in the hope that you would share my feelings, but I was wrong"

"What are you talking about Malfoy? Is it that much of a sacrifice? Having feelings for me?" Hermione asked, "Do tell Malfoy, If I'm such a difficult choice, why choose me at all? What redeeming quality do I have to make up for all that you're giving up? I honestly want to know, what could I, a mudblood, have that would attract someone like you?"

"You are a powerful witch Hermione. You are intelligent and strong, and you have amazing magical ability. But it was my mistake, allowing your power to affect me so much" Malfoy's voice was still quiet, but the fight had left it. He merely sounded defeated now.

It took a while for his words to sink in to Hermione's brain. As the import of his words hit her, Hermione was overcome with an unspeakable sadness.

"Get out" she said.

A tear made its way to her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Malfoy's head jerked up at her words.

"Get out" she whispered again.

Malfoy opened his mouth as if to speak but Hermione held out her hand to stop him.

She closed her eyes to collect herself.

"I am more than my magic Malfoy" she whispered, through gritted teeth with her eyes still closed "Please, leave".

There was a muffled sound and then the door slammed.

Hermione sank into her chair and stared at the now closed door, tears falling down her face.


	52. Chapter Fifty Two

"What I want to know, is why Malfoy looks like someone force fed him a bottle of U-no-poo" Ron whispered close to Hermione's ear.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished in a scandalised whisper.

Ronald Weasley shrugged.

"You can't deny that's what he looks like" he replied sullenly, turning his attention back to the file in front of him.

Hermione pursed her lips and stole a look at the tall black-clad blond.

He indeed looked thoroughly peeved; an intense scowl marring his aristocratic features. There was also a stiffness about him that was giving off clear signals that he was not in a mood to be trifled with.

During the past day and a half since their big blow-up in her office, Hermione had come to the realisation that perhaps she had been a tad immature in avoiding Malfoy and in jumping down his throat when he merely wanted to talk. She knew she had to apologise for her impulsive behaviour at some point and preferably before they all went their separate ways after this meeting.

The past three days had yielded very little information. The most they had done was identify an old wizarding Manor in Geneva that had somewhat resembled one of the sketches they had found in France.

A thorough search of those premises had revealed two dead bodies; those of the caretakers of the Manor, both wizards. Interestingly though, they had both apparently been killed by the killing curse instead of by the amulet. This suggested that most probably Lucille Malfoy had not been there in person but had rather sent her master's to do her bidding whatever that was.

They had also not finished their perusal of the original sketches that Tracey had discovered in France.

That set of sketches was why they were at a ministry meeting room yet again, perusing old architectural books. Theodore Nott had sworn there was something vaguely familiar about one of them.

This was to be the last meeting however.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and the other aurors had already been sent new cases to begin work on by tomorrow and Malfoy had already informed Shaklebolt that he too would be returning to his own work.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and dropped her head into her hands.

She would have loved to have gotten through this case without distractions, but it was not to be. This was the biggest case that she had helped to crack, and her one goal was to see it through. Instead, she was not allowed on the field, her magic was unpredictable, and she had kissed Malfoy.

Hermione sighed into her hands again.

How did she get herself into these situations?

Finally, at a quarter to four, Harry stood up and threw down the large volume he had been holding.

"Alright guys, we have to stop now. Hopefully we can keep working on this while we work on our other projects. We'll also have eyes and ears out for any news. Let's keep our communication lines open at all times in case one of us learns or hears something" here Harry stopped and glanced meaningfully at Malfoy who nodded his acquiescence while rubbing his eyes.

Hermione noticed he was still clutching the copy of the sketch that Theodore had said was vaguely familiar.

"I'll open the floo at my apartment for you" Malfoy drawled.

"Your apartment? Aren't you at the Manor?" Ron asked looking up.

"I haven't been at the Manor since Greece. I don't usually live there Weasley, I'm only there when mother is. The Manor's closed until she comes back from visiting with her friends" Malfoy replied still looking down at the sketch in his hands.

"Right, well make sure you do that. As soon as there is any kind of information or sighting, we'll be on it" Harry finished.

He then strode over to Malfoy who was getting up from his own seat and held out his hand.

After a brief handshake, Harry then shook hands with the rest of Malfoy's team while the others gathered up their things and prepared to leave.

"Hey 'mione, what say you about a late afternoon snack?" Ron asked conversationally.

"Um… can you give me a minute Ron? I need to speak with Malfoy" Hermione muttered.

"Oh… somethings up?" Ron asked.

Hermione waved away his question and stuffed papers into her bag, keeping Malfoy's retreating back within her line of sight.

Finally, she straightened up and hurried after him.

"Malfoy! Hey, Malfoy wait. Malfoy!" Hermione shouted afterthe wizard who was walking away in a swirl of black robes.

Malfoy was either ignoring her or becoming hard of hearing.

"Draco please" Hermione said in a quieter tone.

Malfoy slowed down and then stopped. Hermione hurried up behind him.

"I… I need to talk to you. In private" she stammered.

Malfoy didn't look back, but the rigidity of his shoulders relaxed fractionally.

"Can you come to my office?" Hermione rushed on.

Malfoy's head bent slightly as if he was considering her request. He then sidled over to the wall of the corridor in which they were standing. Hermione noticed that he was still clutching the sketches from before.

"Whatever it is you might have to say Granger, I'm sure you can say it here. We're in relative privacy" Malfoy's voice was calm, without even a hint of anger or malice or any emotion at all in fact.

Hermione sighed silently as she marvelled at his calm and collected façade.

"Malfoy, I want to apologise" Hermione began quietly, marvelling a little at her own collectedness "I was being immature and impulsive. I should have spoken to you or at least explained my situation instead of avoiding the issue altogether"

She searched his grey eyes for some sort of reaction.

His face was a blank slate. He was also apparently, bent on keeping his silence.

"I needed time and space to figure out my own thoughts" here Hermione fell silent as two junior aurors walked past them, giving them quizzical glances.

"We were in the middle of a case and I was struggling with my magic and with you… it was just a little too much" Hermione took a deep breath "I'm also sorry about the things I said without thinking, in my office, I was just overwhelmed".

Still Malfoy maintained his stony silence. Moreover, he was now not even looking at her, instead choosing to keep his eyes trained at a point above her head.

"Say something Malfoy" Hermione deadpanned, her shoulders dropping in defeat.

"I accept your apology Granger" Malfoy's eyes dropped to hers finally "Good luck with your cases" he said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Hermione exclaimed "That… that's it?"

Malfoy turned back to her, his own shoulders drooping slightly "What exactly do you want from me?" he asked, voice just a fraction warmer.

"I… I don't know. Not this. Not now" Hermione struggled to put her thoughts into words.

Malfoy was silent, and they stared at each other for a few painful moments.

"Perhaps we _are_ too different" Malfoy's voice was strange and detached, as if he was speaking to someone who wasn't there.

"No. It's not that. We just have a lot of history and not any of it good. But that shouldn't mean that we can't build something out of it… eventually" Hermione replied, trying to catch his eye.

After a few minutes, Malfoy shook himself slightly as if coming out of a reverie. He looked down at her and nodded curtly.

"Well, you know where to find me when that eventuality occurs" he said, his voice again slipping into blandness.

Hermione opened her mouth but had no idea what to say.

Either way, Malfoy was already striding down the hallway. He turned a corner and was gone.

Hermione let out a loud huff of frustration and literally threw her hands up in the air.

Malfoy was being a nerve-wracking dolt. But there wasn't anything she could do now. She needed to focus on her cases and in regaining her magic. She would deal with Malfoy later.

Hermione also decided against going back to her office as she was quite sure Ron would be there waiting to ask her what's going on between her and Malfoy and that was a line of questioning she didn't want or need.

So, she went home.

A nice warm bath and a cup of tea later, Hermione was feeling much more equanimous.

Putting her feet up on the ottoman in her living room, she picked up another ancient magical architecture book and settled in.

WHOOSH

Hermione's fireplace had come to life and Harry's head appeared in her floo a second later. His hair was dishevelled and from the look on his face, something big had happened.

"Harry! What's wrong?" Hermione jumped up from her seat and fell to her knees in front of the fireplace.

"Malfoy figured out what building the sketch was of" Harry said in a rush "Nott was right when he said it was vaguely familiar".

"But that's great news! Where is it?" Hermione asked, cursing the fact that she couldn't join them in their raid.

"It's been here in our backyard all along. 'mione it was a sketch of Malfoy Manor" Harry said turning to look at something over his shoulder as he spoke.

"What? How? Why didn't Malfoy realise this earlier?" Hermione asked, her mind reeling with this new information.

"He said the Manor's been renovated so many times that it looks nothing like the sketch they found. He's never seen it the way it looks on the sketch. He finally identified it by comparing old land drawings and survey plans of the grounds" Harry replied, still turning every so often to look over his shoulder.

"Well at least we know she isn't there. She couldn't possibly be at the Manor. It's so heavily warded and I'm sure Malfoy would have known if someone had broken into his own house" Hermione said.

"That's the problem. They only have one house elf who has gone with Narcissa to Austria. There's no one at the Manor right now. And yes, it's warded but according to Malfoy, even if she can't disable the security wards, the only other thing the Manor will look for is blood. And she has Malfoy blood… No! honestly…" Harry had turned around again and was shouting to someone behind him.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, her worry ratcheting again.

"That utter prat. I'm sorry Hermione I have to go" Harry was already turning to leave as he spoke.

"No! Wait. What happened?" she shouted.

"It's Malfoy. He's gone to the Manor" With those words, Harry was gone.


	53. Chapter Fifty Three

"Harry you are not listening to a word I'm saying!"

"Hermione, I hear you fine, I just don't know what you want me to do about it".

Harry and Hermione were standing in the Auror office at the ministry. All around them, a flurry of activity was taking place as a team of aurors were frantically getting ready to accompany Harry and Ron to Malfoy Manor.

Hermione had followed Harry's head through the floo into the ministry as soon as Harry had said that Malfoy had gone to the Manor.

For the past ten minutes or so, Hermione had been trying to explain to Harry the gravity of what Malfoy was going to do. Although Harry seemed to understand what Vercloft had told Hermione, he didn't seem to comprehend that Malfoy might actually be putting his life in danger by trying to destroy the amulet.

"Look, Malfoy needs to be there to destroy it. He is the only one who can get through to it. I understand what you're saying about someone needing to be there to help him and we will be. I don't know what else you want me to do" Harry whirled around at those words just as Tracey, Theo and a few members of Malfoy's team tumbled out of the floo.

"What did you get?" Harry asked as Ron too came striding over.

"Someone's disabled all wards at the Manor. We don't know who's inside though or where Malfoy is" Theo panted as he spoke.

As soon as Harry had learned that Malfoy had gone to the Manor, he had sent Theo and Tracey to scout the Manor before assembling at the ministry for a briefing before they descended on Malfoy's ancestral home.

"So, she's definitely there?" Harry asked.

Theo and Tracey exchanged a look "It would appear so".

"Wait, shouldn't we make sure though before we go in there in a full attack?" Ron asked.

"How do we do that?" Tracey asked back.

"Well, Malfoy would have sent a patronus with a message or something right?" Ron asked fastening his auror robes.

Again, Tracey and Theo exchanged a look which lasted longer than the earlier one.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

The silence lasted a few seconds before Tracey sighed and gave Theo a small shrug.

"It's Malfoy. He can't cast a patronus" she said hesitantly.

Harry cursed quietly and hit the desk closest to him.

Hermione stared at Tracey curiously "Why?"

"Well, we never really learned that at Hogwarts and after… well, after that when he tried… he just… he couldn't cast one" Theo said absently adjusting his wand holster.

"Not even a non-corporeal one?" Ron asked incredulously.

Tracey gave him a hard look before shaking her head silently.

Harry stared intently at the floor with his hands on his hips for the space of a few minutes.

"Alright. Alright, everyone gather round" he waited until the others huddled around him, still staring at the ground. Hermione knew he was visualizing the Manor in his head and planning the attack.

"We know Malfoy is at the Manor, but we don't know where. We also know that Lucille Malfoy is most probably there along with her Masters. Our job is to take her out and more specifically, the amulet that she wears on a chain around her neck. Now, we know that Malfoy is the only one who will be able to break the wards on the amulet, so he needs to be protected. Preferably a few of you should stay with him until all this is done. Any questions?" he asked.

"Harry…" Hermione started.

"Yes" Harry cut in "if and when the amulet is found, Malfoy needs help to destroy it, so… whoever is there at the moment…" Harry then made a motion with his hand indicating that whomever was there should just go ahead and help Malfoy.

Hermione gave herself a mental facepalm and hid a groan. As much as she loved her best friend, she knew that he really didn't appreciate nuanced magic. He obviously hadn't understood what she had been trying to explain.

"Let's move out then. The wards on the Manor are down so no one should have a problem getting in. If you haven't been at the Manor before, please enter with someone who has" Ron shouted at the backs of the people who were already apparating out.

"See you 'mione" he called as he disappeared with a POP.

"Harry…" Hermione turned to plead with Harry again.

"Hermione come on. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him okay? I'll stay with him the entire time. I promise. You need to stay put alright?" he called as he too twirled on the spot.

Hermione stood where she was and fretted.

Harry did not understand what was at stake. At best, Malfoy would fail to destroy the amulet. At worst, he would die trying. Either of those was not a viable option.

Hermione's eyes fell on a copy of the sketch of Malfoy Manor that Lucille Malfoy had been studying. According to what they knew, Malfoy's half-aunt believed that the Manor was built on a site of ancient magic.

Hermione knew that this could very well be true.

Malfoy Manor was built centuries ago by powerful pure blood Wizards. It was entirely plausible that they had chosen that particular site for a special reason. Just what that would do to the power of the amulet, Hermione couldn't fathom.

Theoretically, sites of ancient magic were said to increase the power behind spells and charms performed on or near them. If that were true, certainly they had no idea what it could do to the power of a centuries old dark object. Which would mean that Malfoy would have to expend a rather large amount of magic to break down the wards on the amulet before he even got around to destroying it.

Hermione groaned in frustration.

She couldn't risk sending a patronus now to either Harry or Ron. She also knew however that there was no point in explaining this any further to Harry. She also didn't know whether or not Tracey and Theo knew what Vercloft had told her.

Hermione rubbed her temples.

There was a possibility that Lucille Malfoy was not even at the Manor. But who was she kidding. The wards had been disabled.

She stood up gripping her wand.

Draco Malfoy really owes me one, she thought as she apparated with a POP.


	54. Chapter Fifty Four

Draco Malfoy was livid.

Although he strove for a calm rationality and razor focus, hecouldn't deny that inside, he was a mass of bubbling rage.

The Manor was his family home.

Granted, it had not felt much like a home during the latter years of his life; so much so that he had to tear it down completely to rebuild, but, it was his home nonetheless. It had belonged to generations of Malfoy's before him and more than anything else, he had always felt that the Manor gave him a sense of identity and ancestry in a way that not even his father could.

To think that this interloper to his family name had infiltrated his home, that which he was now Master of, was absurd. Lucille Malfoy may be a Malfoy but in no way did she deserve or inherit any part of the ancestral property belonging to the Malfoy's.

This was why, as soon as Draco had figured out what the blueprint was of, he had flood Theo and rushed to the Manor. At the back of his mind, he knew that he probably should have waited for Potter and the aurors but his anger at the intrusion into his property pushed that thought far back.

Besides, it was not as if he was intending to storm the Manor alone and fight everyone there, but he had to go. He had to be there.

Besides, he knew that Theo would most definitely bring an army of aurors as soon as he could anyway.

As he had no way of knowing where Lucille and her masters might be, Draco had taken a calculated guess and apparated straight into his bedroom. Luckily enough, it was empty. From there, he had begun covering the entire Manor. So far, it didn't seem as though anyone was actually inside it.

Draco caught the first sign of movement though a window from the library on the second floor.

He was on his way out of the library when his eye caught the characteristic wave of a wand from the lawn behind the Manor. The gardens of the Manor were expansive. Draco rememberedthat his father used to say they could easily fit two quidditch pitches on the land if they so wished.

The movement he had seen had come from the direction of his mother's flowers and herb garden.

Leading from the backdoor of the Manor was a walkway that lead to a walled in section of the estate that belonged to Draco's mother. She wasn't the greatest gardener but here she pottered around experimenting with various types of flora and vegetation. At present, she had a veritable array of roses, orchids and geraniums as well as a sizable growth of assorted herbs used in various household potions.

Draco knew however, that his mother's little garden was possibly not where Lucille would have set her eyes. A little beyond Narcissa's garden, surrounded by circular rows of tall poplar trees was an old, large and beautiful fountain. Built inside its own massive dais, this fountain was said to be centuries old, built when the Manor was first constructed.

After the war, Draco had often found his mother at this fountain, reading, sewing or sometimes just sitting and staring off into space. At times, even Draco would come to sit and contemplate at the fountain, finding that the place gave him a sense of calm and peace. It was the only structure of the Manor that Draco had not torn down.

If there was a site of ancient magic on the property, Draco hazarded a guess that the fountain would be it.

He flew down the stairs and into the kitchen, stopping to stoop and crawl out the back porch and onto the lawn. Draco paused at the entrance to the walkway leading up to his mother's garden and leaned up against the gatepost. He quickly pulled the heavy black hood of his robes over his head realising that his blond head would be like a beacon in the darkness.

Draco looked over to the garden again. From this vantage point he could make out four wizards in black robes waving their wands along the entrance to the garden. He assumed they were placing wards. This meant nothing to him however as the magic of the Manor made it impossible to keep anyone of Malfoy blood out of a single corner of the property.

Draco hid himself again and groaned in frustration.

If there were four at the entrance, chances were that there were many more along the path to the fountain. He couldn't possibly take them all.

Where in the bloody hell was Potter?

Almost as if on cue, Draco felt a presence behind him. Steadying his wand, he prepared to turn.

"Malfoy stand down" a low voice came to him from the direction of the back porch, but he couldn't see anyone.

All of a sudden, the air behind him rippled and Potter came into view.

A disillusionment charm.

At his signal, other figures came into view behind them; Weasley, Theo and Tracey amongst them.

Potter signalled with his head towards the garden. Draco held up four fingers and pointed towards its entrance. Potter then made a sign to the others and they all spread out and got into formation. Potter slid silently over to the gatepost where Draco was hiding.

"Do you know where she is?" he murmured.

"Fountain, hundred meters or so behind the garden. Surrounded by trees" Draco muttered back.

Potter didn't reply, but kept his eyes trained in front of him.

"Wards?" Potter asked after a second.

"Not for me" Draco replied, "They look basic, should be easily disabled".

"Don't stop to fight" Potter murmured "head directly for the fountain, we'll all be covering you".

Potter made another motion with his hand which Draco realised was for the benefit of the others behind them. He made a sweeping gesture and then pointed towards Draco, signalling that they should cover and follow him.

"You know what you have to do?" Potter asked, lifting his wand and pointing it at one of the black clad wizards.

"Yes" Draco replied, raising his own wand.

WHOOSH

Potter had stunned one of the black clad wizards.

A cry went up and more spells hit the other wizards.

Draco was up and running at Potters signal, heading directly for the entrance of the garden. Behind him he could hear the sound of feet running and spells being thrown.

Although his wand was up, Draco was preserving energy for his final task. Allowing Potter and the others to keep up their offensive, Draco held his wand at the ready to strike or shield himself only when absolutely necessary.

The inside of his mother's garden was unfortunately, reminiscent of a slightly maniacal maze. There were rows of flowers interspersed with rows of herb trees.

To someone who had been through the garden many times, it was just a matter of navigating the haphazard rows and columns until the back but for those who were unfamiliar with it such as Potter and his crew, the garden was proving to be a complete puzzle. Added to this was the fact that the intruders were using the cover of the herb trees, vines and rose bushes to launch their attacks.

Soon, the formation of aurors and Draco's team members had dissolved, and everyone had spread out engaging the masters in their own battles in various corners of the garden.

Draco ducked and weaved in between the rows but was finding it difficult to move towards the back exit. More and more of the bald headed, black robed wizards were poring in from the back and so Draco had to stop and hide often.

All of a sudden, a flash of heat burned the side of his face and Draco's hood flew back. A cry went up and the wizard who had hit Draco began shouting in Greek.

Draco knew that he had been made and that they would now begin targeting him in earnest.

Just as he put up a shield charm, several wizards came running from different directions looking to engage him in a duel.

Draco waved his wand faster and faster, blocking and striking where he could, all hope of conserving energy thrown out the window. At a flash of movement to his right, Draco turned to see Potter enter the fray, spells practically flying out of his wand.

Draco took shelter behind a shelf of Mandrake pots and bent over with his hands on his knees gasping for breath.

After a second, he looked over the shelf at the utter carnage Potter was wreaking.

Draco had no idea who had first told him that Potter was a useless wizard who got by on his luck more than skill, but whoever that was, clearly didn't know what they were talking about. Potter was a blur of magic, blocking and attacking with such speed and finesse that was difficult to keep up with. And all through this, he was maintaining a look of complete calm and focus.

After a few minutes, the wizards who had descended on Draco were lying stunned on the floor and Potter was giving him the signal to move forward. Throwing a quick look behind him, Draco moved out from behind the shelf.

Two things happened simultaneously. A brilliant flash of light drew Potter's attention towards the left and a binding spell hit Draco squarely on the back.

Completely immobilised and unable to make a sound, Draco fell face first onto the ground. His head hit some protuberance on the way and Draco felt a trickle of blood crawl down his face.

Bloody hell.

Draco waited anxiously for whomever threw the spell to make their way over to him.

Suddenly, he was hoisted up into the air, levitating just slightly above the ground. He heard voices speaking in Greek and watched as spells flew past. However, he also knew that Potter had run off towards the light and that probably no one had seen him fall.

He was now moving, still almost flush with the ground. Whoever was moving him was clearly being careful not to have him be seen.

BUMP

Draco had been unceremoniously dumped on the ground just outside the back exit of the garden. As he was still facing down he had no way of seeing what had happened, but the flashes of light told him that there was a duel going on behind him.

He hoped with all his might that Potter had finally seen him and had come to the rescue.

In the next instant, Draco's spell had lifted, and he rolled around and jumped to his feet, wand in hand.

Behind him, a fierce duel was raging between a bald-headedwizard and another person in a black robe with the hood up. This was apparently the person who had rescued him. Draco moved to the side and threw a well-placed stunner, laying out the bald-headed wizard.

"Are you alright?" a familiar voice asked, although his rescuer was still scanning the area without looking at him.

"Granger?"

"Are you alright?" the question was posed with more force this time. Granger whipped her head around and looked up at him, amber eyes blazing.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing here?" Draco spit out through gritted teeth, keeping the volume of his voice in check.

"I'm helping you" Granger spit out through equally gritted teeth.

With those words she whipped around and headed in the direction of the trees behind the garden.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked, utterly nonplussed. As far as he knew, she was not cleared for field work and she had to have no idea about the fountain.

"To the fountain you stupid git" she threw back.

Draco finally came to life and sprang after her. "How do you know about the fountain?"

"It was in the blueprint. I figured it had some significancebecause most homes build on ancient sites of magic marked the location with fountains or sculptures" Granger replied, keeping up her steady pace.

"How… Why are you here?" Draco asked again, tripping in his efforts to limp after her.

Granger suddenly stopped in the middle of the pathway leading up to the fountain and turned to look up at him.

"I am here to help you destroy the amulet. Vercloft told me everything and unlike Harry, I understand what it all means" she said.

"But… it's not safe for you" Draco stammered, quite taken aback by how striking she looked in the moonlight, flushed from the duel, hair wild and eyes shining.

Granger snorted.

"Are you coming?" she asked before spinning around on her heel and heading off again.

After a split second, Draco sprang after her. He limped behind her, as fast as he could, with his wand out, scouring the area for any sign of dark wizards.

Finally, they came upon the clearing.

From where they were standing, Draco could make out a cluster of wizards in black robes standing in a circle towards the back of the dais, a little distance away from the fountain. He couldn't see her, but Draco wagered that Lucille too was in the huddle.

Granger crouched near the roots of a poplar and signalled Draco to follow her.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Draco asked in a whisper.

"Yes" Granger whispered back distractedly "Hopefully I won't have to do much. If you can get through the wards on the amulet, I'll just help you perform the spell to destroy it".

"We'll have to distract them though" Draco said.

"Yes…" Granger trailed off thoughtfully "Be ready to run".

She raised her wand and sent a patronus gliding through the trees. Draco caught a glimpse of an otter before it got lost among the foliage.

As Draco watched, the otter came in to the clearing and gambolled near the dais in full view of the wizards. Although they saw the patronus, curiously, none of them made a move to investigate.

"Why… Draco, it's a trap! MOVE!" Granger shouted, shoving Draco out of his crouching position.

Draco began to run through the trees, keeping his ears pricked for the sound of Granger behind him. She kept pace for a while but then there was silence.

"Granger?" Draco turned while he ran.

Suddenly there was a streak of red light.

Then darkness.


	55. Chapter Fifty Five

Draco Malfoy groaned.

The base of his spine felt like someone had stomped on it, his leg was once again on fire and there was a dull ache coursing through his left shoulder.

As his consciousness gradually came back to him, Draco became aware that he was lying face down on some gravely surface. Dust blew into his face as he breathed in and out. His left arm was twisted under him at an awkward angle to his body, giving a clue as to why there was a dull ache in his shoulder.

Taking another painful breath, Draco chanced opening his eyes fractionally to figure out where he was.

He appeared to be in a cave of some sort; it was dark save for the light of the moon streaming in from the entrance. Draco rolled his eyes to look out of the entrance. It seemed that a section of a wall had been blown away, revealing the cave that he was in. There were two black clad wizards standing right outside this jagged entrance with their backs turned and wands pointed out.

As he rolled his eyes around a little more, Draco became aware that there was another strange glow emanating from the direction of his feet. However, to see what it was, he would have to turn his head, which might give away the fact that he was awake.

Sod it all to hell. He didn't think the situation could get any worse.

Draco bent his head slightly to peer behind him. What he saw almost made him shout out in horror.

Hermione Granger was lying a few feet behind him. She was on her back, she didn't have her wand and she appeared to be unconscious.

Lucille Malfoy was standing over her, wand pointed at Granger's chest.

Or rather, her wand appeared to be pointing at a translucent medallion that was hovering about a foot on top of Grangers chest. It was glowing brilliantly and slowly rotating.

Draco stared at the medallion, transfixed in shock and utter dismay, the implications of what he was seeing dawning on him in full effect.

"You're awake"

The voice was soft and highly accented.

Draco looked up to see his half-aunt looking at him, a triumphant smile playing around her lips.

Draco tried to move, to roll over but his movement caused a jolt of pain to shoot up from the base of his spine to the base of his neck.

He grunted.

"You probably shouldn't move. You are quite injured. Of course, it won't matter for very long" Lucille's Malfoy's tone of voice was matter-of-fact and gentle despite the macabre nature of what she was saying.

"What are you doing to her?" Draco managed to say through gritted teeth.

Lucille turned her eyes back to him. Their grey colour and the small ripple of her platinum blond hair unnerved Draco. She looked so much like his father, so much like him.

"I'm sure you've already guessed what I'm doing, my dear nephew. My work is almost done. The Manor proved to be a very powerful source of strengthening magic. I have drained almost all of this mudblood's magic" she replied.

"NO!" Draco shouted "Stop! Take me, take my magic. I'm a pure blood!" Draco shouted, struggling to turn himself around and almost crying in frustration when he couldn't.

Lucille Malfoy laughed, softly and musically.

"Oh, you silly silly boy" she said, looking down at him eyes full of mirth "This is why you pure blood wizards always fail. You think too much of yourselves and your precious blood."

She looked back down at Granger.

"Your blood means nothing" she said scornfully "I've taken the magic of many pure blood wizards. The magic of a muggle born is always more powerful. Did you know?" she asked "If I drain the magic of a pureblood, they die, almost immediately. Muggle borns always live, even without their magic. Unless I kill them later, of course" she said flippantly.

"But this one" she continued, looking down at Granger her face flush with a rapture that seemed almost indecent, "she's special. I only had a drop of her magic last time and it was so unbelievably potent. I never thought I would get another chance to meet her".

"No! no… no…" Draco kept saying, digging deep within himself to find the strength to reach for his wand, that he felt trapped underneath him.

"Be quiet boy. I'll be gentle with her don't worry. If you'd like, I'll let her live. She can live like the filthy muggle that she'd be anyway without her magic" Lucille spat "She will be nothing".

"Hermione Granger is a much stronger witch than you will ever be, you will never take her magic. I don't care what that damn medallion can do" Draco said, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Should I kill her then? Since her life means nothing without her magic anyway?" Lucille asked, her tone mildly curious.

Draco grunted.

"Her life is worth ten times yours, even without her magic" he said pointedly, the truth of his words, sinking into his brain as he said them.

"Well well, what do we have here? Fallen in love with the mudblood have you?" she asked, amusement and scorn evident in her tone.

"Don't call her that!" Draco shouted.

"Silence!" Lucille said sharply "I'll be gentle with her but definitely not with you. I hope your dear grandfather will forgive me for killing his precious Draco but… I can't possibly let you live. Not with your ancestral blood. Besides, it won't be too much of a loss, for a blood traitor".

"Once this is over, I will be able to use this magic for a long time. Long enough to disappear for a few years" she finished.

At her words, the medallion stopped spinning.

Beneath it, Granger had begun to shake violently as if from unbearable cold.

"Hermione… Hermione… please" Draco whispered, willing her to be strong through the force of his words.

The shaking had pushed Granger onto her face as well and from the angle she was in now, she could see Draco's face.

The look in her eyes, defiant and brave, gave Draco a much-needed push.

Looking up to see that Lucille had already begun to siphon magic from the medallion to herself; muttering a strange incantation with the medallion pressed to her chest, Draco began to slowly inch his way over to Granger.

He gasped with pain as he dragged his body over to where she was, covering inch by painstaking inch.

Lucille Malfoy did not even notice what he was doing, enthralled as she was by the magic flowing from the medallion to her chest.

Finally, Draco pulled himself alongside Granger and not knowing what else to do, heaved his uninjured shoulder on top of hers, pressing into her in an effort to stop her shaking and convulsing.

"Draco… you have to destroy…" Granger's voice was quiet and talking was clearly difficult for her.

"My wand snapped under me" Draco whispered back hopelessly.

"Don't need… wand… just use your magic… try" Granger whispered back.

Draco took a few steadying breaths.

Finally, reaching out his uninjured arm and holding it over Grangers head, outstretched towards the medallion, he tried to cast the spell.

Confringo

Draco sensed the power of his spell breaking through the ancient wards placed on the medallion but falling short of reaching its goal of destroying it. He could feel his magic hitting a solid wall of opposing magic emanating from the medallion, keeping it safe.

"I… I can't. It's too powerful. It has your magic… I can't destroy it" Draco panted.

"You can…" Granger whispered, her voice even quieter than before.

"Hermione…"

"Draco… do it"

Once again, summoning his energy, Draco reached out his hand.

Before he could cast the spell however, Granger shifted slightly under him and as he watched, her arm stretched out on the ground, parallel to his.

"Granger… you can't…" Draco said hopelessly.

"Cast it now" Granger said back, struggling to breathe "Do… it"

Draco reached deep within him for all the magic he could muster.

CONFRINGO

As the magic left his body, Draco felt a sudden surge of magic join his. Before he could think further, it had hit the medallion.

The translucent orb pressed against Lucille Malfoy's chest suddenly turned red, Draco's half-aunt finally realising that something was wrong.

With a blinding flash of red light, the medallion burst into a thousand tiny pieces.

Draco's hand dropped to the ground beside Grangers.

She had done it.

"NO! No, no. You…" Lucille Malfoy turned to Draco, her want pointed, eyes blazing in fury.

However, the final bit of magic had taken all of Draco's remaining energy. He could feel his consciousness slipping away.

Granger already appeared to be unconscious.

From the edges of his dwindling awareness he heard a scream.

"CRUCIO"


	56. Chapter Fifty Six

**Well this is it. The end of my fic. I began writing this story to escape a lot of things that were going on in my life at a certain point in time. I am happy to say that this story has seen me through a lot. I apologise for the delay in uploading the last few chapters. I was battling illness and depression as I wrote and towards the end, it became difficult for me to keep writing. I truly hope you enjoy this chapter and the story as a whole.**

 **A big thank you to all the readers. Everyone who left comments, who followed and liked my story, I kept on going for you. Your words meant so much to me. I'm sorry I couldn't reply to every one of you personally but thank you all so very much!**

 **To Sjay1102, this fic is for you. Without your encouragement and support, I would not have written this at all. Thank you for the confidence you gave me to sit down and write and for helping me see that maybe I can actually write fiction. And thank you for keeping me sane.**

 **Thank you, Draco Malfoy for being my inspiration.**

 **I own nothing.**

 **Await the epilogue!**

….

"Do you really have to do this?"

Draco Malfoy's voice was quiet, and his tone defeated.

Hermione looked up at him from the edge of the bed on which she was sitting.

Next to her was a trunk filled to the brim with clothes, books and other mementoes from Hermione Granger's life as a witch in the wizarding world.

"Yes Draco, I really do" she said gently, staring into grey eyes that were particularly stormy this morning.

It was now a month and a half since the events at Malfoy Manor.

The bright light from the exploding amulet had drawn both aurors and masters to the cave, which Draco had later found out was at the base of the fountain.

Lucille Malfoy had blown a hole through the foundation of the dais surrounding the fountain as she had believed that the site of ancient magic was at that particular location.

During the five or so minutes that it had taken Harry and his team to get there, Lucille had tortured Draco almost to the point of insanity, although he had been unconscious at the time. Draco had immediately been placed under a magically induced coma to ward off the after effects of prolonged exposure to the _Crutiatus_. It had taken two weeks for a team of medi-wizards to bring him out of this magically induced coma and then another week of treatment to bring him back to normalcy.

Lucille had been captured and sentenced to life in a French wizarding prison.

Harry had reported that she had remained defiant until the end, accepting her sentence with her head held high. Draco and Hermione had not made it to her trial, which had lasted only a few days. The team had been represented by Harry, Ron, Theo and Blaise, along with Shaklebolt and Robbards.

The French minister had been aghast at discovering that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes had been a French citizen. Also, that she had been operating under his nose for a matter of years without anyone knowing.

At the moment, Draco was alright except for occasional tremors of the extremities and the need for regular doses of potions to ward off the after-effects of the _Crutiatus_. He was still limping and using a cane, but he had rather gotten used to that. His healers had assured him that with time and the proper medication, he would regain full use of his leg, a diagnosis that Draco was fully satisfied with.

Unfortunately, Hermione had not gotten off so lightly.

After a maelstorm of local and foreign medi-wizards had spent considerable time healing her of her various injuries, they had discovered to their dismay and abject horror that Hermione Granger no longer had any trace of magic on her.

They and all of Hermione's friends and family had tried in vain to keep this information from her for as long as they could, but she had known. From the moment that Hermione had regained consciousness, she had realised that something was wrong. It had felt almost like a limb had stopped working.

Something was missing, leaving a gaping hole at the centre of her being.

She had spent close to the same amount of time as Draco at St. Mungos undergoing tests and diagnostics but to no avail. She could no longer perform even the most basic of magic.

After a long and harrowing process of denial, anger, grief and finally grudging acceptance, Hermione had left the hospital despondent and utterly defeated.

During those weeks, her room at St. Mungos had been filled to the brim with people. Almost everyone she had known throughout her life came to visit and sit at her bedside. Harry and Ron almost never left her side except at night. They took turns forcing her to eat, administering her potions and holding her as she screamed and railed against the injustice that had been done to her.

Harry and Ron were mostly silent through the worst of her ordeal, as if they couldn't even begin to fathom a Hermione without her magic. Even later, their words were soft, gentle, as if they were afraid she would break.

The others all said the same things to her; "You're Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of our age, you can shake this off", "Concentrate on the victory, you should be proud of what you've achieved", "Don't worry, it will be alright", "You'll always be a witch".

She knew those words were supposed to be comforting or at the very least, distracting. But she didn't see it as such. They didn't know. No one knew. They still had their magic.

She knew that Neville was hard at work attempting to develop a potion for her that might possibly work. He came in sparingly, always with words of encouragement. Hermione loved him for the effort he was making. But in her heart, she knew that his potion wouldn't make much of a difference to her condition.

The only person who didn't say anything, the only one who seemed to even have an inkling that they could never ever understand what she was going through was Draco Malfoy.

He had hobbled into her room almost at the same time every night, after visiting hours were over, after his own ongoing treatment was over, and had sat next to her bed in silence, not saying a word.

At the beginning, she hadn't spoken either. She had just stared at the ceiling, taking in his presence.

After a while, he had gotten up and left.

After a few days, she began to speak. And she talked and talked and talked without stopping.

She spoke about her childhood, her parents, about Harry and Ron and Dumbledore. About Viktor Krum, Cormac McLaggen and Stewart. About her work, her research, and her reading. About her mistakes and faults and regrets. By the end of the week, she no longer had anything left to say. He had just listened.

And then the tears began.

Once Hermione had begun to realise that she might never do magic again, she couldn't stop crying.

He had listened, staring at her impassively for the longest time. She was beginning to think that perhaps he didn't really care when one night he had gotten up off his chair, scooped her off the bed and sat down with her huddled on his lap.

And still she had cried, shaking with grief, soaking his black robes.

He hadn't said any inanities, hadn't asked her to stop crying. He had just stayed and absorbed it all in. Whereas her friends couldn't bear to see her tears, Draco had taken it all in without wavering.

Finally, Hermione had no more tears left.

By the time she left the hospital, she had already resigned herself to her fate.

To all of it.

So, when Draco had turned up at her apartment that night that she had come home from the hospital, she had smiled sadly and let him in.

The following three weeks, they had spent almost every night together. Some nights in complete silence, some nights talking until the first light of dawn shone in through the windows.

Hermione didn't know what this was that they had, and they hadn't spoken about it ever. It just was.

And sometimes, in the dead of the night, when she lay awake and watched him sleep, hair fallen over his eyes, chest rising and falling gently as he breathed, Hermione realised, it was alright.

She didn't need to know.

She no longer needed to reconcile the two Draco's in her head; the horrible bully at school with the quiet man reading a book in her apartment. She had been through too much to deny herself the little joys the he brought.

It wasn't as if she erased and ignored his past discretions. They spoke at length about the war, about his parents and about warring ideologies that had left them on opposite sides of a battle.

He was growing as was she. And she accepted that and decided to let it rest.

But, she couldn't shake the feeling that something enormous had shifted inside of her. She felt like an entire vista had opened up before her, a vista that she had never even bothered to look at, a vista in which she wasn't a witch.

She needed to discover what that meant.

For the first time in the life that she remembered, she didn't have her magic and she yearned to find out what that made her. She yearned to discover the world without her magic, to find out who she was, if she wasn't a witch.

So, after much deliberation, internal debate and silent tears, she had decided, with a heavy and yet anticipatory heart, to leave the wizarding world for a year.

Alone.

The medi-wizards at St. Mungos had said that they could test her again tentatively within a year to see if she had regained any of her magic but that testing before that would be futile. They had also advised her against trying to perform any magic till then for fear of the toll it might take on her health.

Even without her magic, she was still Hermione Granger. She didn't want to sit idly for a year, waiting for something that quite frankly, may never materialise.

Shaklebolt and Robbards had of course offered her, her job back, upgraded as head of research at the Auror department, Shaklebolt stating in writing that the status of her magic would have no bearing on the position.

Hermione had been truly honoured by his offer and humbled by the faith he had placed in her abilities. But, she never even toyed with the idea of accepting. It wasn't right, and she couldn't wrap her head around being at work in her state. She had politely but firmly refused, despite Shaklebolt's apparent sadness at her decision.

Harry and Ron had railed against her decision, going so far as to threaten to lock her up in her apartment to keep her from leaving. But after countless arguments, sullen silences and long patient conversations, she had finally convinced them that this was something she had to do.

She had spent the whole of last night at Grimmauld place saying her goodbyes. She loved her friends and knew without a doubt that any of them would do anything for her. She also knew that there was a good chance that had she asked, Harry and Ron would have come with her. She felt that they were half excepting her to ask.

But she couldn't do that. And she didn't want to.

She needed to do this alone. For the first time, she needed to be just Hermione and not part of the Golden Trio.

Draco had not said a word when she had told him what she was going to do.

He had started going back to work little by little and that day, he had gone out on his first field mission and had come back with some colour on his face. That colour had drained when Hermione had told him what she was going to do but he said nothing. Only nodded slowly and fixed her with his steely stare, as if he understood.

Since then he had helped her with arrangements, shutting up her apartment, packing and handling her correspondence.

He now stood, with one arm on the mantlepiece above the fireplace in her bedroom, one hand clutching his cane, looking at her morosely.

"You can stay here" he said "you don't have to work, you can do research and study. I can take you to Vercloft, if you want to work with him" he shifted slightly as he spoke.

"Work how Draco?" Hermione asked quietly, looking back down at her trunk, not really expecting an answer.

"I can go with you" he tried again after a moment "We can go to Egypt, Azzalaudin's museum".

"We will. Someday. I promise" Hermione replied, "You know why I have to do this".

"Explain to me again Granger" Draco sighed.

Hermione was silent for a moment.

"I need to find out who I am Draco, apart from being a witch".

"But you are a witch. That will never change" Draco said shifting again.

"Perhaps. But I spent the last so many years of my life becoming the best witch I could be. I guess I never really tried becoming the best person I could be; Hermione the person not Hermione the witch" she replied, a distant look in her eyes.

Draco sighed.

"It will come back" he said fiercely, with a conviction that Hermione didn't feel but couldn't challenge.

"It will" she whispered back, passing a hand over her smooth, scar free forearm.

It had taken Hermione a while to realise that she no longer had the scar that Bellatrix had given her. It had gone with her magic, no longer having anything in her blood to react to.

Hermione was thus, no longer a mudblood.

But then again, she also knew that she would proudly bear her scar if it meant that she could have her magic again. She would never cover it up with sleeves again.

Hermione sighed.

A fatigue settled in her bones despite the fact that it was still early morning and she had only woken up all of an hour ago.

Ever since she had lost her magic, it seemed as if she was perpetually tired. Her healers had warned her that she would not have her usual levels of energy without the magic in her blood. It still frustrated her to no end though.

Once being so full of life, she now felt like she had the energy of an eighty-year-old woman.

With a wave of his brand-new wand, Draco closed and locked Hermione's trunk, pushing away from the mantlepiece with a quiet sigh and leaning heavily on his cane.

With one last look around her bedroom, Hermione stood up and walked over to Draco. Without waiting for her to reach him however, Draco turned around and began dragging the trunk to the cab waiting outside.

Hermione stood in the doorway to her bedroom and watched Draco through the window, struggle with the trunk out the door. Although he had used magic to enlarge the inside of the trunk and make it relatively weightless despite the number of things it held, Hermione knew that dragging the trunk was difficult for Draco because of his leg.

She smiled to herself marvelling at the blond aristocrat huffing and puffing as he physically hauled the trunk into the boot of the muggle cab.

And then he was limping back to her.

Hermione waited until he was standing right in front of her, looking down at her to reach up to his face.

She pushed back his hair and looked into his eyes, pressing her palm into the side of his face.

Draco closed his eyes and leaned into her palm.

"Hermione…"

"Don't" Hermione rushed to stop him.

Whatever he had to say, he could say when she got back.

Draco sighed and leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers.

They stood like that for some minutes until she stepped back.

And then with a slow sad smile,

Hermione was gone.

THE END


	57. Epilogue

The human mind is a strange thing.

At times, it surpasses our wildest expectations and at other times, appears to stop working entirely.

But one thing Hermione Granger learned throughout her short but tumultuous life is that the human mind is most potent when one is doing something instinctively; allowing the mind and body to function without actively thinking about what is being done. When one just sits back and lets the mind do its work.

Reflecting on this, Hermione allowed her shoulders to relax and her eyes to flutter shut.

She took a deep breath, savouring the air filling her lungs, emptying her mind of all thought as she did.

With another deep breath, Hermione's eyes snapped open, the wand in her hand thrummed as she tightened her fingers around it.

Confringo

The non-verbal spell had been cast before she had even thought of casting it.

A small smile played around Hermione's lips as her eyes narrowed, zoning in on her targets.

Hermione Granger was, at present standing in one of the training grounds of the new Auror training facility just outside of wizarding London. The auror department had set up an obstacle course of sorts to test her magic.

It had been exactly a year since she had left London and now she was back.

When she had left, Hermione's magic had been completely drained; undetectable to even the finest of magical diagnosticsand non-responsive to her most desperate calls. Furthermore, as an after effect of not having her magic, Hermione found that she tired easily and was lethargic and weak.

It had been almost six months before she had felt the faintest stirrings of magic within the deepest depths of her soul.

When she had walked out of her apartment, Hermione had not had the slightest clue as to what she would do exactly for a year. She just knew that she had to leave.

She wasn't overly concerned about money or working. Apart from the large depository of funds she had received from the ministry as reward for her part in the wizarding war, Hermione also had much of her salary left over. She lived a simple life and had thus not needed to spend large amounts of money. She knew that with diligence, she could make her savings last an entire year.

After riding in the cab for an hour in a random direction, Hermione had suddenly gotten the urge to visit her parents. So that's where she had gone first.

She had ended up staying for almost two months.

Her initial plan had been to simply pop in for a visit. But after spending a few hours with them, she realised just how much she had subconsciously been missing their affection and validation.

After she had restored as much of her parents' memories as possible, Hermione had become aware that they were not the same mother and father they used to be. This had scared her and since then she had visited less and less. Apart from the crushing guilt that she felt about their condition, Hermione was also terrified that her parents wouldn't remember things about her and her childhood and that if they didn't remember, she didn't want to know it. She felt as if the loss of her parents' memories of her would mean the loss of her childhood and she couldn't handle that.

But as she sat in the kitchen of her parents' house watching her mother bustle around the stove and her father humming as he tinkered with an old motorcycle outside, she became aware that perhaps she was the one who had pushed them away after going to all the trouble to find them.

True, they may not be the parents she knew, but they were the only parents she had, and she couldn't just renounce them.

So, she stayed.

Her parents were surprised at first but quickly warmed to the idea of having their daughter prolong her visit.

Little by little Hermione discovered that her parents did in fact remember most things about her childhood. However, the shock and trauma of losing their memories, building a new life in a foreign country and then coming back to themselves had taken its toll on the Grangers. They were weary and wary. They took their time opening up to their daughter just as Hermione had taken her time opening up to them.

By the time she left however, Hermione knew that she finally had her parents back, and that meant the world to her.

She left because she hadn't found what she had left the wizarding world to find. She had rediscovered herself as a daughter, but she hadn't discovered who she was as a person.

Hermione then spent months travelling both outside the country as well as within.

She was careful to always stay out of wizarding communities and to stick to the muggle world. She read books, slept, ate and wandered.

As time went by, she realised that her strength was slowly coming back to her. She no longer felt exhausted by 10am and needed a nap at noon. This was the first indication that she was getting better, physically if not magically.

Within ten months of her leaving her apartment, she felt as normal as she ever did, strong, brisk and with her mind razor sharp.

And then one morning, with a month still left in her exile, Hermione had walked out of her bathroom in the quaint little Irish BB she was staying at and without thinking had reached for her towel. She had just realised that her towel was quite a long way away from her when it had zoomed neatly into her outstretched hand from clear across the room.

Hermione had then spent a full ten minutes staring at the peach coloured towel in her hand, uncomprehendingly.

Even after this however, Hermione was still afraid to actually perform magic for fear that it might not work.

So, she had decided to just dismiss the towel incident as some sort of fluke.

As time went on though, she couldn't deny the feeling of magic searing through her being, roiling in the depths of her soul.

It escaped from her quite a few times unwittingly. Things she needed zoomed into her hands, lights switched on and off, books rearranged themselves.

And yet she still didn't actually perform magic. Not until today that is.

Harry and Ron had kept in constant touch.

They had made her promise to give them the addresses of all the places she stayed at which she did diligently. This was mainly because she knew that if she fell silent, her best friends would probably have torn up the countryside looking for her.

She didn't want them to worry, so she dutifully wrote and kept them truthfully updated.

They were desperate for her to come home and said as much in every letter they wrote.

Ginny, Luna, Neville and even Tracey had sent letters with varying frequency; Tracey even going as far as to call her a few times on her mobile phone.

Hermione was touched by their concern and her heart was full of the love they had for her.

She did miss them all terribly and had many times toyed with the thought of just going home, magic or no magic.

But she couldn't do that. She was stronger than that.

Her resolution only gave way in the face of one person's silence.

Draco Malfoy had written to her a grand total of two times.

Hermione had known that Malfoy was not the letter writing type. He was barely the talking type. She didn't know what to think. He hadn't promised to write of course. The letters he had sent her were clinically short and direct. Just the basic updates of what he was doing.

She had replied both letters and had waited for more. She had waited until she realised that he was probably not going to send any more.

Through Harry's and Ron's letters, Hermione knew that Malfoy was back at work and busy with his company which had apparently branched out into magical paraphernalia related to defence. He wasn't dating anyone as far as they knew but then again, Malfoy was not exactly one to confide his dating history to Potter and the Weasel.

She missed his quiet strength and his biting wit. She missed the forlorn silences and the heated debates. She missed him to the extent that she was tempted to just show up at Malfoy Manor and demand an explanation as to his silence.

She may have been undecided before but this year of beingcompletely away from Draco Malfoy had convinced Hermione that she definitely wanted to see this through.

This relationship.

Or whatever it was.

Finally, her year had been up and by that time, Hermione knew without a doubt that she had her magic back. She didn't know how strong it was, but it was undoubtedly there.

So, she had made her way back home.

Turning on the lights of her old apartment had brought back a million memories. But she hadn't had time to dwell on these as seconds later, Harry and Ron had barrelled through the door.

They had talked late into the night about a year's worth of happenings.

Harry was now second in command to Robbards who, it was rumoured, was retiring next year. Harry was a shoo in for the job and Hermione quite got the feeling that he was excited about it.

Ron had now moved completely into mission control. He no longer went out on field work but rather oversaw all the major missions that the aurors undertook.

Harry and Ginny had finally moved in together and despite the irregularities in their schedules and their crazy work ethics, Harry appeared to be supremely happy and Hermione was happy for him.

On the other hand, Ron seemed to be moving at a snail's pace with Tracey. He had hemmed and hawed before finally admitting that they had gone out on two measly dates during that entire year. They were still together in the unconventional sense but not in the official sense, is what Ron had said. He did mention their hectic work schedules and Tracey constantly being out on missions. Hermione didn't press Ron much though because he seemed quite content with how things were and she knew that he would make his move when he wanted to and not a moment earlier.

She had pointedly avoided asking about Malfoy, fearing the answers she might get.

When Harry and Ron got up to go however, Harry had turned to her and muttered "he knows you're coming in tomorrow 'mione".

Hermione had frozen on the spot and stared at her best friend.

Harry had returned her look but then with a shrug indicating that he didn't know more or that he didn't know what to say, he had given her a one-armed hug and left.

And now here she was.

Hermione had been completely flabbergasted at the amount of people gathered to see her at the auror training facility; Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, the entire Weasley family, her old colleagues, Theo and Tracey. It was an utter shock to discover all these people crowded into the waiting room. Hermione was engulfed in hugs and shoulder pats and encouraging words.

Finally, an auror had come to take her to a medical room where healer Jones was waiting to give her a medical diagnostic.

Healer Jones had smiled at her fondly when she had entered and had barely even pointed his wand at her before it began emitting a high-pitched whine.

"Well, well, well. That is rather fascinating…" he muttered under his breath, entirely unperturbed by the sound coming from his wand.

"Healer Jones? What is it?" Hermione asked trying valiantly to ignore the sound herself.

With a muttered incantation, Healer Jones silenced his wand.

"Your magic appears to be back… quite strong too I must say" he replied squinting at his clipboard.

"Strong?" Hermione asked.

"Well…" Healer Jones trailed off "Your magic has always been extremely difficult to quantify. We always believed that it was because you were a muggle-born but now I feel… it may well be due to your magic being too strong to quantify. Whatever it is, it's certainly back" he finished with an unfamiliar grin.

Hermione was silent, taking in the information.

She didn't speak even when the same auror came back to take her to see Robbards.

"Granger!"

Robbards gruff greeting had shaken Hermione out of her reverie.

"Jones told me about your diagnosis" he indicated a large open area outside the window to his office "We're ready for you to get back to work… if you are".

It took a moment for it to sink in that Robbards was actually offering to give her the ministry test right then and there.

She opened her mouth to decline and ask for another day.

But then her eye caught her wand which had just been brought in by one of Healer Jones' assistants.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath savouring the magic she felt coursing though her body. She reached for her wand.

"Alright" the words had come out in a whisper.

Robbards cocked an eye at her for a second before smiling and nodding. He had then led her out to the perimeter of the training ground.

During their walk to the testing area, it suddenly came to Hermione that among the sea of faces looking down at them from the waiting room, a certain platinum blond head was conspicuous in its absence.

She sighed deeply.

Perhaps he did not feel the same.

"Whenever you're ready Granger" Robbards said quietly before clapping her on the shoulder and moving away.

Hermione had paused near the edge of the training ground for a few minutes. Finally, she raised her eyes to the waiting room where all her friends were gathered.

He still wasn't there.

But Harry and Ron were. So were many others.

Harry was the first one to spot her looking. He raised his hand immediately. His lips formed a smile even though it didn't quite reach his eyes. Hermione knew he was worried about her.

Soon, Ron joined him at the window and waved to her enthusiastically. One by one, the others crowded around the window, smiling and waving.

Hermione didn't return their smiles even though her heart filled at their encouragement.

She knew that this was her ultimate test. Her home-coming.

Her acceptance of who she was.

She was Hermione Granger. Muggle-born witch.

She was also a daughter, friend and auror.

A witch and a muggle.

But for the first time in her life, Hermione realised that she was good the way either way. she realised that she was as good a person as she was a witch.

If she failed this test now… well… then she'd just take it in her stride and figure out where to go from there.

But either way, she was content. She was complete.

Hermione squared her shoulders and stepped on to the grounds.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione was sweaty, bruised and winded.

Robbards and the aurors had thrown in almost every kind of challenge they could think of. Hermione was not only using basic defensive spells but also obscure magic, some of which she was quite certain only she knew how to cast from all the aurors. It was almost like they were testing the limits of her magic as much as they were testing her suitability for field work.

At the moment, she was squared off against an enchanted tree much like the Womping Willow, her challenge, to obtain an object hidden at the base of its trunk. Many of the more common spells were proving to be futile in subduing the violent sapling though.

Finally, after a thorough whacking by one particularly aggressive branch, Hermione blew her hair out of her face and pointed her wand viciously.

Extinctus Vita

She bit out through gritted teeth, not even caring anymore whether or not the ministry needed this particular plant or not.

Immediately, the tree shrivelled and turned brown, the leaves dying and falling off almost in an instant.

Stowing her wand, Hermione marched up to the tree and felt around its base until her hand hit something like a scroll.

It was indeed a scroll.

Hermione unfurled it, hoping against all hope that it wasn't directions to yet another challenge.

It was not.

Instead it was the employment contract that Shaklebolt had offered her before her sudden departure. The motion still stood, the days date on the top and the position of Head of Research, Auror Department offered to Hermione Granger and signed by Minister Shaklebolt, undersigned by Robbards and Harry.

Hermione felt her shoulders sag.

She clutched the paper and slid to the ground, tears rolling down her face.

To say that it was an eventful day would have been the biggest understatement.

Harry had found Hermione still on the ground, crying her eyes out about thirty minutes after the test had concluded.

Hermione had passed without a single error.

Harry had hugged her and calmed her down and finally led her up to Robbards' office. There, in front of her two best friends, Hermione had signed her agreement to the terms of her new employment.

What followed afterwards was a haze of hugs and kisses and pats and then later on, a raucous party held at the Burrow that Hermione didn't have the energy to say no to. She joined in the festivities, laughing, eating and drinking, finally happy, finally content.

Except for one thing.

She couldn't help looking towards the door now and then, half expecting to see a tall aristocratic blond walk in. But as the night wore on, she realised that was probably not going to happen.

Hermione stumbled into her apartment at close to one in the morning.

"Granger"

Hermione froze.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she walked the three steps from her door to the living room.

Standing near the fire, a tumbler of whiskey in his hand, a lock of hair over his eyes, was Draco Malfoy.

"Draco?"

Hermione didn't have time to get any more words out however, before Draco had taken two long strides to where she was and wrapped his free arm around her. From the fumbling sound behind her, Hermione could tell that he had levitated his tumbler somewhere.

Hermione closed her eyes and basked in the feel of her face pressed against the solid wall of Draco's chest.

After a few minutes, she untangled herself.

"Where were you?" she tried hard to keep the accusing tone out of her voice.

Stormy grey eyes looked down at her.

"I was here" he said silently.

"You didn't come to the training facility" she replied, finding it almost impossible to stop the accusation in her tone.

Draco shrugged, narrowing his eyes quizzically.

"I had no doubt in my mind that you would pass the test with flying colours Granger. I did however, want you to spend that time with your friends"

Hermione stared up at him.

"Of course, I also wanted this time entirely to myself"

Draco's hand dropped from behind her waist and he took a step back, the look in his eyes so intense however that Hermione felt as if he was still holding her.

"You didn't write" she whispered.

"I didn't need to. But you needed time to yourself and I wanted to give that to you" he replied

"You didn't need to?" Not even to see if I was alright?" Hermione asked, her voice getting stronger in its indignation.

Draco sighed and took another step back to lean against the wall.

"I didn't need to because I saw you frequently. You didn't see me of course, I didn't want you to. But I couldn't stay away" he dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck "I'm not the person to write long letters".

Hermione considered this.

"How did you know where I was?" she asked quietly.

"After you left I spent a day perhaps in misery before I went looking for you. Your parents place was maybe the fifth place I looked" Draco kept his eyes on the ground.

"I saw you Granger. I came to see you. I needed to see you. For my sanity. But I wanted to allow you your space for what you wanted to do when you left. I saw you planting flowers with your mother, reading books at the library, sitting alone in parks. I didn't tell you because… because I wanted you to come to me yourself, not to influence you" Draco sighed "If you want I can leave".

"No"

Hermione's word came out fast and in a gasp. To say she was shocked at Draco's perseverance would be an understatement. She had leapt forward as she spoke.

Taking a breath, Hermione laid her palm on Draco's chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat through his stiff black cloak.

Draco placed his own hand over hers with a sigh, turned it over and pushed back the sleeve.

Mudblood.

The scar had begun to appear faintly on her skin a few months ago. At the moment, it stood out darkly against her fair skin.

"I'm sorry" Draco said quietly.

Hermione knew he was talking about the scar.

"Don't be" she said looking down at the jagged letters "I'm not ashamed of it anymore, I'm rather proud of it actually" she smiled and looked up into Draco's eyes "It shows me that my magic is strong. That I'm a witch. A muggle-born witch"

"A powerful muggle-born witch" Draco agreed, a small smirk appearing on his lips "The most powerful I've seen in fact".

At that, Hermione laughed, her smile widening until it broke into a hearty guffaw. Draco's smirk widened to mirror hers.

Using the same hand that was holding onto her forearm, Draco pulled Hermione back against him.

The last thing Hermione saw before meeting his lips with hers were a pair of utterly familiar, safe and darkening stormy grey eyes.


End file.
